Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has ordered the shutdown of leading media organisations including the Daily Monitor newspaper and NTV UgandaX
Gatekeeper News reports that Kainerugaba declared that he does not believe in a free press. The outlets are owned by Nation Media Group. Soldiers were reportedly deployed to the media group’s premises in Kampala, restricting access to staff, while television and radio operations were taken off air.
The closures followed days of threats by Kainerugaba on social media, where he said he was awaiting approval from his father, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, before acting.
After the shutdown, Kainerugaba wrote that he had the authority to close any media house in Uganda and claimed he had possessed that power since 2017. He further stated that NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor would not reopen without his permission and warned that more arrests could follow.
In one of his posts, the army chief said he did not believe in a free press and argued that the media should be guided by supporters of the ruling revolution. His remarks have sparked concern among press freedom advocates and media organisations, which described the action as a major setback for independent journalism in Uganda.
The crackdown comes amid growing scrutiny of Kainerugaba’s influence in Uganda. The 51-year-old military commander is widely viewed as a possible successor to Museveni, who has ruled the East African country since 1986 and was re-elected earlier this year for a seventh term.
