The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution
In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Kampala, armed forces surrounded the headquarters of Uganda's largest independent media group, sealing its gates and trapping hundreds of workers inside at the explicit command of General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the country's Chief of Defence Forces and son of the sitting president. The general had declared on social media that he does not believe in a free press, and that journalists must instead be guided by revolutionary cadres — words that transformed a long-simmering hostility toward independent journalism into a physical siege. This moment arrives on the eve of a disputed presidential election, and it echoes raids on the same outlets in 2013 and 2007, suggesting that in Uganda, the suppression of independent voices is not an aberration but a recurring instrument of power.
- A general's late-night posts on X became military orders by dawn, with armed personnel sealing the gates of Nation Media Group's Namuwongo compound before most of the city had woken.
- More than 500 journalists, producers, and support staff found themselves trapped inside their own workplaces, unable to enter or leave as soldiers held their positions outside.
- Radio stations 90.4 Dembe FM and 93.3 KFM went silent without explanation, while NTV Uganda was reduced to rebroadcasting Al Jazeera's international feed under military watch.
- No legal order, no formal statement from the army, police, or communications regulator — the siege operated in a vacuum of official justification, amplifying its intimidating effect.
- The action mirrors raids in 2013 and 2007 against the same outlets, signaling a pattern of escalating suppression as Uganda heads into a contested January 2026 election cycle.
- Nation Media Group, which had branded itself 'Uganda's Bold Voice,' issued no statement, leaving staff, audiences, and international observers uncertain about what would come next.
Before dawn on a Sunday, armed security personnel moved into the compounds of Nation Media Group in Namuwongo and took up positions at the Kampala Serena Hotel. The gates were sealed. No one could enter or leave. By sunrise, hundreds of journalists, producers, and support staff were effectively imprisoned in their own workplaces.
The siege had been announced hours earlier by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, through a series of posts on X beginning just after 1 a.m. He declared NTV and the Daily Monitor shut down, stating they would not reopen without his permission. He was explicit about his reasoning: 'In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press. The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.' The action appeared to be the culmination of a week of escalating threats, during which the general had hinted he was awaiting his father President Museveni's approval before moving — approval that had now apparently come, or been set aside.
Nation Media Group operates NTV Uganda, the Daily Monitor, Spark TV, two radio stations, and several other platforms, employing more than 500 people across the country. As the siege took hold, both radio stations dropped off the air without explanation. NTV continued broadcasting, but only as a simulcast of Al Jazeera's international feed — its own voice replaced by foreign content, all under military watch. No statement came from the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the police, the Uganda Communications Commission, or Nation Media Group itself.
The raid was not without precedent. In 2013, police sealed the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM for over a week after the publication of a letter implicating senior officials in a succession plan. In 2007, NTV Uganda was forced off the air just two months after its launch. President Museveni had publicly called the Daily Monitor an 'enemy and evil newspaper' for its critical journalism. Yet the outlets had endured, positioning themselves as independent voices in the months leading up to Uganda's disputed January 2026 presidential election. Whether they would survive this latest siege — and what form that survival might take — remained, as the hours passed, entirely unknown.
In the predawn darkness of Sunday, armed security personnel moved into the compounds of Uganda's largest independent media operation. They sealed the gates at Nation Media Group's headquarters in Namuwongo and positioned themselves at the Kampala Serena Hotel. No one was permitted to enter. No one was permitted to leave. By the time the sun rose, hundreds of journalists, producers, and support staff found themselves trapped inside their own workplaces, uncertain whether they would ever broadcast or publish again.
The siege had been announced hours earlier on social media. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, had posted a series of declarations on X beginning just after 1 a.m. "NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!" he wrote. In a follow-up post, he was more emphatic: "Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission." Earlier in the same thread, he had articulated his governing philosophy with stark clarity: "In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution."
The orders came as the culmination of a week of escalating threats. General Muhoozi had repeatedly signaled his intention to move against the media outlets, though he had previously suggested he was awaiting approval from his father, President Museveni, before taking action. Now, it appeared, that approval had either been granted or the general had decided to act without it.
Nation Media Group's footprint in Uganda is substantial. The company operates NTV Uganda, the Daily Monitor newspaper, The East African magazine, Spark TV, two radio stations (93.3 KFM and 90.4 Dembe FM), the Ennyanda newspaper, and the Nation Courier, among other platforms. Across these operations, the organization employs more than 500 people in the country. By daybreak Sunday, all of them were effectively imprisoned in their workplaces.
The radio stations went silent. 90.4 Dembe FM and 93.3 KFM both dropped off the air as the operation unfolded, though no official explanation was provided. NTV Uganda, however, continued broadcasting—a simulcast of Al Jazeera's international feed—even as soldiers and security personnel maintained their positions outside. The contrast was striking: one outlet silenced, another reduced to rebroadcasting foreign content, all under military watch.
Neither the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the police, nor the Uganda Communications Commission issued any formal statement. No legal order was publicly announced. No official explanation was offered for why the country's most prominent independent news organization had been surrounded by armed personnel. Nation Media Group itself remained silent, issuing no statement as the hours passed.
This was not the first time. In May 2013, police had raided the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM after the publication of a letter that allegedly connected senior government officials to a succession plan. The premises were sealed for more than a week. In February 2007, just two months after NTV Uganda had launched, the government forced the broadcaster off the air, citing negative news coverage. Over the years, President Museveni had repeatedly attacked the Daily Monitor in public remarks, once calling it an "enemy and evil newspaper" because of its willingness to publish critical journalism.
Yet despite these confrontations, Nation Media Group had continued to operate as an independent voice, particularly in the months leading up to the disputed January 2026 presidential election. The organization had branded itself as "Uganda's Bold Voice." Now, that voice had been silenced by order of a general who had made his contempt for press freedom explicit. What would happen next remained unknown.
Notable Quotes
NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today! Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission.— General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chief of Defence Forces, via X
In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.— General Muhoozi Kainerugaba
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did the general feel compelled to announce this on social media rather than through official channels?
Because it was a show of power. The posts were declarations, not legal orders. He wanted the country to see him making the decision, to understand that he doesn't believe in the constraints that normally govern such actions.
The staff were trapped inside. What does that accomplish tactically?
It prevents them from organizing a response, from coordinating with international press freedom groups, from getting their story out first. It's control through confinement.
But NTV kept broadcasting. How does that fit?
They were broadcasting someone else's content—Al Jazeera. It's a kind of neutering. The outlet still exists technically, but it's no longer speaking with its own voice.
This has happened before, in 2013 and 2007. Why does the government keep returning to the same outlets?
Because they're the most visible, the most credible, the ones people actually watch and read. They're the ones that matter. Shutting down smaller outlets sends a message. Shutting down Nation Media Group sends a warning.
The general said he doesn't believe in a free press. Is that unusual rhetoric for Uganda?
It's unusually blunt. Most governments pay lip service to press freedom while constraining it. He just said it outright. That's either confidence or desperation—the belief that he doesn't need to pretend anymore.