KAMPALA, Uganda- Security forces on Sunday surrounded the Kampala headquarters of the Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda after Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced on social media that the group’s major media outlets had been shut down.
The overnight operation targeted NMG’s premises in Namuwongo, with armed security personnel sealing off the compound and reportedly preventing staff from entering or leaving the premises.
The deployment came hours after Gen. Muhoozi posted on X that NTV Uganda, Spark TV and the Daily Monitor would be closed.
“NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!” he wrote before adding in a subsequent post that the outlets “will not re-open without my permission.
“In another post, the military chief said he did not believe in a free press, arguing that the media “should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”
By early Sunday morning, viewers of NTV Uganda and Spark TV were met with blank screens displaying “video unavailable” after the stations were taken off air.
The Daily Monitor’s operations were also disrupted as uncertainty surrounded the group’s newspaper publishing activities.
Nation Media Group Uganda owns several of the country’s leading media brands, including NTV Uganda, Spark TV, the Daily Monitor, KFM, Dembe FM, The EastAfrican, Ennyanda newspaper and Nation Courier.
The latest developments follow days of escalating threats by Gen. Muhoozi against the media house, during which he repeatedly accused its outlets of unfair coverage and suggested they would face sanctions.
The closure has drawn criticism from opposition figures. Opposition leader Bobi Wine accused the military leadership of using state power to silence independent journalism, saying the move represented an attack on Uganda’s remaining independent media voices.
The incident marks a significant escalation in Uganda’s media crackdown, coming months after authorities imposed restrictions on live broadcasts ahead of the country’s January 2026 general election, citing security concerns.
Rights groups have previously warned of shrinking civic space and increasing pressure on independent media and opposition voices.