Uganda army chief shuts down country's leading independent media group
Uganda's leading independent media group says it is under a "military siege" after the country's army chief ordered the closure of its newspapers, television and radio outlets.
NTV Uganda and Spark TV were forced off air after armed soldiers surrounded the Nation Media Group's offices in Kampala. The move followed a social-media announcement by the head of Uganda's military, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, that the outlets would cease operations immediately.
"In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution," Kainerugaba wrote on X. He said the order had been approved by his father, President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for four decades, and that the outlets "will not re-open without my permission."
Headquartered in Kenya, Nation Media Group is East Africa's largest independent media company. In Uganda it also owns the influential Daily Monitor and The East African, among other platforms.
The shutdown was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists and by opposition leader Bobi Wine, and adds to mounting concern over a crackdown on free speech in Uganda. It came amid a wider campaign of pressure on government critics, including the detention of opposition lawyer Erias Lukwago.
