Table of Contents
In a shocking, highly volatile middle-of-the-night assault on independent journalism, state security personnel acting under direct instructions from Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba have laid an active military siege to the premises of Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda. In the early hours of Sunday, June 28, 2026, heavily armed military units cordoned off NMG’s primary editorial headquarters in Namuwongo and its elite broadcast studios at the Serena Hotel in Kampala, stopping staff from moving in or out of the compounds.
At the time of writing this article, both NTV and KFM websites had stopped streaming their live programs on their respective websites although their official frequencies were still emitting images and audio. We shall wait to see how UCC handles this directive.
The aggressive deployment follows a rapid succession of late-night posts on X by the CDF, who openly declared a permanent shutdown of the country’s most prominent independent newsrooms and completely renounced the constitutional principle of a free press.
Also read about when Aga Khan left NMG
Why did Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba order the closure of NTV and Daily Monitor?
Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered the immediate shutdown of NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor following a week of escalating tensions where he accused the independent media house of non-alignment with the state’s ideological frameworks. The final operational execution was delivered directly via his verified X handle, entirely bypassing traditional state regulatory protocols.
In a series of public updates that sent immediate shockwaves through diplomatic and civil society circles, the country’s top military officer made his hostile stance toward independent news production explicitly clear:
“NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!” Gen. Muhoozi wrote on X. “Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission. In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”
Insiders indicate that the military deployment represents a calculated move to enforce absolute state censorship over independent political reporting. Over the past week, the General had openly stated that he was simply awaiting an administrative nod from his father, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, before deploying military machinery to silence the country’s preeminent media house.
Which media stations and channels are affected by the Namuwongo military siege?
The military operation targets the entire structural portfolio of Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda, effectively freezing the operations of the nation’s largest independent multimedia infrastructure. By daybreak on Sunday, the enforcement actions had physically compromised multiple broadcast networks, causing immediate signal dropouts across the country.
While NTV Uganda managed to maintain an automated live feed broadcasting an international Al Jazeera simulcast as late as 3:38 a.m. local time from its master control room, the surrounding physical siege has severely disrupted local programming loops. The current operational posture of the media house’s various platforms highlights the sweeping scope of the state’s enforcement actions:
| Media Brand / Platform | Type of Medium | Current Operational Posture (As of June 28, 2026) | Immediate Impact on Consumers |
| NTV Uganda | Television Network | Physically Besieged; broadcasting automated international feeds. | Local morning news loops and political talk shows entirely suspended. |
| Daily Monitor | Daily Newspaper | Premises Sealed; print distribution routes locked down. | Sunday editions frozen at Namuwongo printing presses; digital staff locked out. |
| 91.3 KFM | Radio Station | Off Air; transmission signals entirely severed. | Commercial audio feeds and morning news bulletins disabled. |
| 96.3 Dembe FM | Radio Station | Off Air; transmission signals entirely severed. | Luganda entertainment programming completely cut. |
| Spark TV | Television Network | Physically Besieged; live programming compromised. | Female-focused entertainment loops halted. |
| Ennyanda | Weekly Newspaper | Production Enforced Stop; editorial desks sealed. | Local sports journalism distribution completely blocked. |
Can the Chief of Defence Forces legally shut down independent media in Uganda?
No, neither the Chief of Defence Forces nor any individual military officer holds the constitutional mandate or legal authority to order the closure of a private media house in Uganda. Under Article 29 of the Constitution of Uganda, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are strictly protected fundamental human rights, and any regulatory or enforcement action targeting a broadcaster can only legally be processed through the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) or via an explicit order issued by a competent court of law.
The total absence of any formal statements from the UCC, the Ministry of Information and National Guidance, or the Uganda Police Force reveals that this operation is being conducted entirely as an extrajudicial military maneuver. Legal analysts and constitutional experts have immediately raised severe alarms, warning that treating national press organs as military targets violates basic due process and threatens to plunge the country into absolute lawlessness, where armed authority supersedes statutory legislation.
What are the historical precedents of military raids on Daily Monitor?
The pre-dawn siege on Namuwongo is a chilling repeat of the infamous May 20, 2013 military crackdown, when state security forces similarly declared the Daily Monitor premises a “crime scene” and shut down its printing presses for 11 days. During that historic 2013 raid, the government was desperately searching for a leaked classified letter authored by Gen. David Sejusa (Tinyefuza), which alleged a highly sensitive state plot to assassinate senior political and military figures who opposed the succession plans of grooming a then-Brigadier Muhoozi Kainerugaba to take over from his father.
The stark historical irony of the 2026 siege is that the very individual whose rumored succession sparked the 2013 media shutdown is now the exact military chief utilizing state machinery to execute the closure directly. Over the last decade, despite NMG Uganda undergoing significant ownership restructuring—including the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development selling its controlling interest to Tanzanian tycoon Rostam Aziz’s Taarifa Ltd in March 2026—the media house has remained a primary target for state handlers who view independent investigative journalism as an existential threat to elite political consolidation.
Review the Legal Analysis on Muhoozi’s Media Closure Threats to understand the constitutional framework surrounding this crisis. This video breaks down whether a military chief can legally override Article 29 of the Constitution to shut down an independent media house.
