Press freedom under threat in Uganda as military chief orders closures

Uganda's leading independent media group said it is under a "military siege" after the army chief ordered the shutdown of its newspapers, TV station, and radio outlets.

NTV Uganda and Spark TV were forced off air after armed soldiers surrounded the Nation Media Group (NMG) Kampala offices on Sunday.

The stations went off air in the early hours of Sunday, with local media reporting that the broadcasts displayed the message: "Video unavailable".

Headquartered in Kenya, NMG is East  Africa's largest independent media company, and in Uganda also owns the influential Daily Monitor, The East African, and other platforms.

The news came after the head of Uganda's military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced on social media that they would cease operations immediately.

"In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution," he said in a post on X.

The general, who is President Yoweri Museveni’s son, has asserted growing control in recent months, ordering the arrest of politicians and activists.

Kainerugaba confirmed on X that the orders had been approved by his father, who has ruled Uganda for 40 years and said the outlets "will not re-open without my permission".

Museveni, 81, won another term in January but many see his son as positioning himself to take over.

The Committee to Protect Journalists and opposition leader, Bobi Wine, have condemned the media shutdown.

Uganda ranks 143 out of 180 countries on media watchdog Reporters without Borders’ press freedom index. It says journalists in Uganda face intimidation and violence on a nearly daily basis.