UNAVAILABLE! NTV Uganda, Spark TV and Daily Monitor Shut Down in Military Operation After Muhoozi’s Orders

KAMPALA — Uganda awoke on Sunday to blank television screens and a heavily guarded newsroom after security personnel deployed to the premises of Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda overnight, forcing NTV Uganda and Spark TV off air and casting uncertainty over the operations of one of East Africa’s largest independent media organisations.

By about 5 a.m., viewers attempting to tune into NTV Uganda and Spark TV were instead met with messages indicating that video was unavailable or that technical difficulties had interrupted service.

At the same time, armed security officers remained stationed at NMG’s headquarters in Namuwongo and at facilities linked to the broadcaster at Kampala Serena Hotel, where staff reported that movement into and out of the premises had been blocked.

The operation followed a string of late-night posts on X by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who publicly announced the impending shutdown of the broadcaster and its newspaper.

“NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!” Gen. Muhoozi wrote in a post.

He followed with another declaration: “Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission.”

In a separate post explaining his position on the media, the army commander added: “In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”

The statements marked the culmination of several days of escalating public attacks against Nation Media Group by the general, who had repeatedly suggested he was awaiting authorisation from his father, President Yoweri Museveni, before taking action against the media house.

The shutdown affected one of Uganda’s most influential media companies. Nation Media Group owns NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor, Spark TV, The East African, 93.3 KFM, 90.4 Dembe FM, Ennyanda newspaper and the Nation Courier, among other platforms that collectively reach millions of Ugandans every week.

As dawn broke over Kampala, questions far outnumbered answers.

Neither the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force nor the Uganda Communications Commission had issued an official statement explaining the legal basis for the operation or whether any formal order had been issued against the broadcaster.

For journalists inside the media house, the operation revived memories of some of the most difficult chapters in Uganda’s modern media history.

This is not the first confrontation between the Ugandan state and Nation Media Group.

In 2013, security agencies raided the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM after publication of a letter linked to the so-called “Muhoozi Project,” sealing the company’s premises for more than a week before operations resumed. Three years earlier, shortly after NTV Uganda launched, the broadcaster also experienced a government-imposed shutdown following disputes over its news coverage.

Over the years, President Museveni has repeatedly criticised the Daily Monitor over its editorial stance, reflecting a relationship often marked by tension between the government and the country’s independent press.

Despite previous confrontations, Nation Media Group has continued to describe itself as an independent news organisation committed to public-interest journalism across East Africa. Its Ugandan operations employ hundreds of journalists, editors, producers, technicians and support staff whose work reaches audiences through television, radio, print and digital platforms.

The latest developments come at a politically sensitive moment following Uganda’s disputed January 2026 general election and amid heightened tensions between sections of the media and the country’s political and security establishment.

The overnight deployment of security personnel and the suspension of broadcasting immediately became one of the country’s most significant press freedom developments in years, drawing widespread public attention as viewers searched for answers about the fate of the affected media outlets.

Whether the blackout proves temporary or signals a longer confrontation between the state and one of East Africa’s most influential media houses remains uncertain. By Sunday morning, however, one reality was unmistakable: two of Uganda’s best-known television stations had gone dark, their newsrooms surrounded by security personnel, while the future of their operations awaited further official clarification.

Museveni has previously vowed to make Daily Monitor bankrupt and demanded an apology, as reported Here and There.

Meanwhile, the Aga Khan sold NMG to a Tanzanian investor months ago, as reported HERE.