Uganda’s military chief orders shutdown of two media outlets
News
The president’s son said he did not believe in a free press as military personnel were deployed to the media offices.
The chief of Uganda’s military says he has ordered the closure of two of the country’s biggest media outlets.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba said on Sunday that the Daily Monitor, the country’s largest independent daily newspaper, and NTV Uganda, one of the largest private broadcasters, were being shut down and would not reopen without his permission.
Details
“In Uganda, I do not believe in a free press!” Kainerugaba, who is the president’s son, wrote on X.
“From now on ALL bad stories about Uganda have to be cleared by my office!” he said in one of a series of posts, adding that all media in Uganda would follow the rules, going forward.
Military personnel deployed
Analysis
Both the Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda are owned by the Nation Media Group (NMG) conglomerate. The Daily Monitor said armed security personnel were outside NMG Uganda’s headquarters in Namuwongo, Kampala and its Serena Hotel location, with staff reporting “no one was being allowed to enter or leave.”
NTV Uganda, Spark TV and other TV and radio broadcasters owned by NMG were down in the country on Sunday, the Reuters news agency reported.
According to Kainerugaba, he has had the power to shut down any media outlet since 2017, when his father, President Yoweri Museveni, granted him this ability.
Stay informed with the latest news on Wararka.so — your trusted source for Somalia and world news.
