The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution
In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Kampala, armed security forces sealed the premises of Uganda's largest independent media group on the orders of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the country's military chief and presidential son, silencing NTV Uganda, Spark TV, and threatening the Daily Monitor newspaper. The general announced his intentions openly on social media, declaring that he does not believe in a free press and that outlets must be guided by revolutionary ideology — words that place this moment within a long and troubled global story of power seeking to control the stories told about it. No legal order was produced, no regulator spoke, and more than 500 people arrived at dawn to find their workplace surrounded by soldiers, their work suspended by a decree issued in a social media post.
- A military chief ordered the shutdown of Uganda's most prominent independent media house in the middle of the night, announcing it on social media before troops had even finished surrounding the buildings.
- By 5 a.m., television screens across Uganda displayed only 'video unavailable' — the sudden silence of broadcasters that had been live just hours before landing like a physical blow to the country's information landscape.
- Over 500 employees found themselves either locked inside the compound or barred from entering, with no formal legal order, no official statement, and no clear timeline offered by any government authority.
- Neither the military, the police, nor the communications regulator issued any justification for the operation, leaving the shutdown in a legal vacuum that raises urgent constitutional questions about who holds authority over the press.
- The closure echoes a pattern — a 2013 raid, a 2007 forced blackout, years of presidential hostility — but this time the scale, the brazenness, and the ideological declaration behind it mark something qualitatively new.
Just after midnight on Sunday, armed security personnel moved into the Kampala compounds of Nation Media Group, Uganda's largest independent media operation. By 5 a.m., NTV Uganda and Spark TV had gone dark, their screens showing only the words 'video unavailable.' The order had come from Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba — Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni — who had announced his intentions in a series of posts on X beginning at 1:07 a.m.
His declarations left little room for ambiguity. 'NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today,' he wrote, adding that neither outlet would reopen without his permission. In a third post, he stated plainly: 'In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.' The posts were the culmination of threats he had been making throughout the previous week.
The operation was methodical. Security personnel deployed at NMG's Namuwongo headquarters and at the Kampala Serena Hotel, where some operations are based. Staff were prevented from entering or leaving. For nearly four hours, the stations continued broadcasting — carrying an Al Jazeera simulcast even as soldiers surrounded the buildings — before both channels fell silent. Radio stations Dembe FM and KFM also appeared to go off air.
By daybreak, no formal legal order had been produced. Neither the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force, nor the Uganda Communications Commission issued any statement explaining or authorizing the shutdown. Nation Media Group itself had not responded publicly. The fate of the Daily Monitor newspaper, also named in the general's posts, remained uncertain.
The group's footprint is substantial — NTV Uganda, the Daily Monitor, The East African, Spark TV, two radio stations, and several other platforms, employing more than 500 people in Uganda alone. This was not the first confrontation between the state and NMG: a 2013 police raid shuttered the Monitor for over a week; a 2007 government order forced NTV off air just two months after its launch; President Museveni himself once called the Daily Monitor an 'enemy and evil newspaper.' Each time, the outlets had resumed. But the openness of this shutdown — announced by a general on social media, executed by soldiers in the night, justified by an explicit rejection of press freedom — made it unlike anything that had come before.
Just after midnight on Sunday, armed security personnel moved into the compounds of Nation Media Group in Kampala, sealing off the buildings where Uganda's largest independent media operation runs. By 5 a.m., NTV Uganda and Spark TV had gone dark—their screens showing only the words "video unavailable" to viewers who had tuned in expecting the morning news. The shutdown had been ordered by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the country's Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, who had announced his intentions on social media hours before the operation began.
Gen Muhoozi's declarations came in a series of posts on X starting at 1:07 a.m. "NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!" he wrote, followed by another message: "Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission." In a third post, he made his ideological position explicit: "In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution." The statements represented an escalation of threats he had been making throughout the previous week, during which he had repeatedly said he was waiting for his father's approval before moving against the media house.
The security operation unfolded with methodical control. Personnel deployed at both the NMG headquarters in Namuwongo and at the Kampala Serena Hotel, where some operations are based. Staff members reported that no one was permitted to enter or leave the compound. For nearly four hours, NTV Uganda and Spark TV continued broadcasting—at 4:45 a.m., the stations were still carrying an Al Jazeera simulcast even as armed security surrounded the premises. Then, shortly after that time, both channels went silent. The radio stations 90.4 Dembe FM and 93.3 KFM also appeared to go off air during the operation, though the circumstances remained unclear.
By daybreak, security personnel remained in position at both locations. Staff trapped inside reported they could not move freely. Notably, neither the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force, nor the Uganda Communications Commission had issued any formal statement explaining the operation or announcing any legal order authorizing the shutdown. Nation Media Group itself had not released an official response. The duration of the blackout remained unknown, and the fate of the Daily Monitor newspaper—which Gen Muhoozi had also targeted—hung in uncertainty.
The shutdown affected a sprawling media empire. Nation Media Group operates NTV Uganda, the Daily Monitor newspaper, The East African magazine, Spark TV, two radio stations, an evening newspaper called Ennyanda, and the Nation Courier, among other platforms and investments. The group employs more than 500 people in Uganda alone. The operation represented an unprecedented direct assault on the country's leading independent news organization.
This was not the first time state security had moved against NMG. In May 2013, police raided the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM over coverage of a letter allegedly linking senior officials to a succession plan. The premises remained sealed for more than a week before operations resumed. In February 2007, just two months after NTV Uganda launched, the government forced the broadcaster off air, citing complaints about negative news coverage. Over the years, President Museveni himself had repeatedly attacked the Daily Monitor, at one point calling it an "enemy and evil newspaper" for its critical reporting.
Despite these confrontations, Nation Media Group had maintained its independence and its commitment to public-interest journalism. The organization had branded itself as "Uganda's Bold Voice" in the lead-up to the disputed January 2026 presidential elections. Previous raids had drawn condemnation from international and local media freedom organizations and human rights groups. Now, with security forces surrounding the premises and no legal framework announced to justify the action, the question was not whether the outlets would reopen, but when—and under what conditions.
Citações Notáveis
NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today! Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission.— Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, via social media
In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.— Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, via social media
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Gen Muhoozi feel compelled to announce this on social media first, rather than through official channels?
Because the announcement itself was the operation. The posts were the order. In a system where one person's word carries that kind of force, the medium doesn't matter—what matters is that everyone sees it and understands it applies to them.
The staff couldn't leave the compound. Were they detained, or just prevented from leaving their workplace?
The distinction matters less than the reality: they were trapped. Whether it's called detention or a security perimeter, the effect is the same. You can't go home. You don't know when you can.
No formal legal order was issued. Does that make the shutdown technically illegal?
On paper, perhaps. But legality requires someone with the power to enforce it against the person giving the order. That's not the situation here.
Over 500 people work there. What happens to them if this lasts weeks?
They stop being paid. Their families stop eating. The uncertainty becomes its own kind of pressure—on them, and on anyone else thinking about working in journalism.
The Daily Monitor has survived for 30 years. Does that history protect it now?
History is only protection if there's someone willing to defend it. The Monitor's boldness was its strength when the system tolerated dissent. Now it's become a liability.