KAMPALA
Security personnel have surrounded the Nation Media Group Uganda premises in Kampala after Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered the shutdown of the media house, resulting in NTV Uganda and Spark TV being taken off air.
In a breaking news update, NTV Uganda and Spark TV had been forced off air, while the Daily Monitor newspaper was also ordered shut down on the instructions of Gen Muhoozi.
Reports circulating on social media also indicated that KFM and Dembe FM, both owned by Nation Media Group Uganda, were affected. However, official statements from the affected media houses at the time of publication specifically confirmed that NTV Uganda and Spark TV had gone off air.
The operational status of the radio stations could not be independently verified.
The developments followed reports that military personnel had deployed around the Nation Media Group headquarters, effectively laying siege to the premises.
National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, condemned the move, describing it as an attack on independent journalism.
In a statement posted on X, Bobi Wine alleged that the shutdown was intended to silence independent media voices.
“Museveni’s criminal son, acting with his father’s full approval, has moved to silence Uganda’s remaining independent voices by shutting down NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor, Dembe FM, and Spark TV,” he wrote.
He further claimed that the incident reflected growing repression in Uganda, although these remarks represent his political opinion and have not been independently verified.
The shutdown comes as concerns over media freedom continue to dominate public debate in Uganda.
Earlier, Daily Monitor published an article examining the state of press freedom in the country, noting that freedom of expression and access to information are protected under Articles 29 and 41 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda.
The publication argued that repeated incidents involving security agencies and journalists have continued to raise questions about the protection of constitutional rights and media independence.
As of publication, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Ministry of Defence had not issued a detailed public statement explaining the legal basis for the reported shutdown or the deployment of security personnel at the Nation Media Group premises.
Similarly, no court order authorizing the closure had been made public.
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