Uganda’s media landscape has come under renewed pressure after the country’s military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, ordered the closure of several outlets operated by Nation Media Group Uganda and publicly threatened the company’s Managing Director, Susan Nsibirwa. The move has triggered widespread concern among press freedom organisations and international observers as Uganda enters an increasingly sensitive political period.
Military orders spark media blackout
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who serves as Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and is widely viewed as a potential successor to President Yoweri Museveni, announced through a series of social media posts that the media outlets would remain closed until he personally authorised their reopening. He also declared that he did not believe in a free press, arguing that the media should be guided by what he described as the “cadres of the revolution.”
Security forces were subsequently deployed to Nation Media Group Uganda’s headquarters in Kampala, restricting staff access and disrupting newspaper printing as well as television and radio broadcasting. Among the affected outlets were the Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM, Dembe FM and other publications within the group.
Threats directed at Susan Nsibirwa
The situation intensified when Kainerugaba publicly called for the arrest of Nation Media Group Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa, stating that police patrols should detain her. The remarks drew immediate criticism from media watchdogs, which warned that such statements could place journalists and executives at significant personal risk.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Ugandan authorities to withdraw security forces from the company’s premises and ensure that Nsibirwa could continue her work without fear of arrest or intimidation. The organisation described the military action as another indication of shrinking media freedoms in Uganda.
Negotiations under way
Despite the shutdown, Nation Media Group Uganda has continued publishing through its digital platforms where possible. Nsibirwa confirmed that negotiations with military authorities were under way in an effort to restore normal operations, although staff remained unable to access company facilities.
The Ugandan government later stated that the closures were connected to a broader security investigation involving multiple state agencies, but no detailed legal justification has been publicly provided.
Growing international concern
Human rights organisations, including CPJ and Reporters Without Borders, have condemned the closures as an unprecedented escalation against independent journalism in Uganda. Amnesty International has also criticised what it describes as an expanding campaign of intimidation targeting the media and civil society.
The incident has revived memories of previous government actions against independent media, including the temporary closure of the Daily Monitor in 2013. Analysts note that the latest crackdown comes amid heightened political tensions and increasing scrutiny of Kainerugaba’s growing influence within Uganda’s military and political establishment.
Newshub Editorial in Africa – 3 July 2026
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