Museveni’s son orders closure of Uganda’s Nation Media outlets, raising press freedom concerns.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the country’s Chief of Defence Forces, has announced the closure of Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets NTV Uganda, Spark TV and the Daily Monitor, saying the decision had been approved by his father.
In a series of posts on X, Gen. Kainerugaba declared that the media houses had been shut down and their offices barricaded. Nation Media Group later confirmed that access to its premises had been blocked, disrupting normal operations.
The move follows days of public threats by Gen. Kainerugaba, who accused the media outlets of hostile reporting and vowed to “switch them off.” No official legal justification for the closure has been announced.
The development has sparked concern among journalists, media rights organisations and opposition figures, who argue that the action is a serious blow to press freedom and freedom of expression in Uganda. Critics have also questioned whether a serving military commander has the legal authority to order the closure of privately owned media organisations without due process.
Social media has been divided, with some users supporting the move, claiming the outlets have long been biased, while many others condemned it as an attack on independent journalism and democratic freedoms.
Nation Media Group is East Africa’s largest independent media company, with NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor among Uganda’s most prominent news organisations.
