_Kampala, Uganda_ — Uganda’s leading independent media group says it is under a “military siege” after army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered the shutdown of its newspapers, television and radio outlets.
NTV Uganda and Spark TV were forced off air on Sunday after armed soldiers surrounded the Nation Media Group (NMG) offices in Kampala. The stations went off air in the early hours of Sunday, with broadcasts displaying the message: “Video unavailable.”
NMG, headquartered in Kenya, is East Africa’s largest independent media company. In Uganda it also owns the influential _Daily Monitor_, _The East African_ and other platforms.
The shutdown followed a post on X by Gen. Kainerugaba, who is President Yoweri Museveni’s son and head of Uganda’s military.
“In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution,” he wrote.
Kainerugaba later said the orders had been approved by his father, who has ruled Uganda for 40 years, and that the outlets “will not re-open without my permission.”
The general has asserted growing control in recent months, ordering the arrest of politicians and activists. President Museveni, 81, won another term in January, but analysts say his son is increasingly positioning himself as a successor.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and opposition leader Bobi Wine have condemned the media shutdown.
Uganda ranks 143 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index. The watchdog says journalists in Uganda face intimidation and violence on a near-daily basis.
NMG has not said when its broadcasts or publications are expected to resume.
Source: Africanews
