NMG Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa
Soldiers from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have raided Nation Media Group (NMG) premises in Kampala on Sunday night, forcing the suspension of operations at its television stations and newspaper.
The soldiers reportedly stormed NMG’s offices in Namuwongo, while NTV Uganda and Spark TV, which broadcast from Kampala Serena Hotel, were forced off air.
According to reports, the soldiers also sealed off the Daily Monitor offices in Namuwongo, blocking access to the premises and preventing staff from entering or leaving.
Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, later posted on his X account that NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor were being shut down.
Muhoozi also announced that he had instructed police to arrest Nation Media Group Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa. As of publication, no official charges had been publicly disclosed.
”In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution,” Muhoozi wrote in one of a series of posts on X on Sunday.
In another post, he added: “I have the power in Uganda to shut down ANY media house I want to. I have had this power since 2017. This power was given to me by my great father President Kaguta Museveni. NTV and Daily Monitor are learning about it today.”
The reported raid has drawn widespread condemnation from media organizations and members of the public.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) said it was “deeply concerned” by the developments and warned of their implications for Uganda’s media landscape and constitutional freedoms.
”At this stage, NAB is formally reaching out to the Ministry of ICT, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), and the Chief of Defence Forces to seek clarity and pursue an amicable resolution. We assure our members and the public that we are following up on all fronts and will issue a more detailed statement once verified facts emerge,” the association said in a statement.
National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi condemned the operation, describing it as an attempt to silence one of Uganda’s remaining independent media houses.
”This is the harsh reality we now face: a country under open military rule, where fear replaces law and force replaces accountability.But history is clear. Dictators always escalate repression toward their fall, pressing every button in desperation until they press the one they never expected to be their last.Uganda will be free!” Kyagulanyi wrote on X.
The military raid marks the climax of a growing standoff between State House and Nation Media Group, following the decision to bar the media house from covering President Yoweri Museveni’s official activities. The standoff stems from what Government say it’s negative publicity from the group which the latter defends as freedom of the press
