Ugandan army chief orders the closure of major media outlets

Closure order

Ugandan army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered the closure of multiple media outlets in Uganda on June 28, 2026, in a move that immediately raised alarms about press freedom and military influence over civilian institutions.

AP reported that Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda were among the targeted outlets. Both are owned by Nation Media Group, one of the country's biggest private media companies.

Soldiers were deployed outside Daily Monitor's offices in Kampala as the order took effect, underscoring how quickly the dispute moved from social media posts into a physical confrontation at newsroom level.

Kainerugaba also posted on social media that he had the power to shut down any media house and that all media in Uganda would have to follow the rules. Those remarks framed the action as an assertion of authority rather than a routine regulatory step.

Outlets affected

The National Association of Broadcasters said at least six publishing and broadcasting outlets under Nation Media Group were closed. It warned that the move could affect Uganda's wider media ecosystem, not only the outlets directly named in early reports.

Reporting around the shutdown differed on the exact scope. One account said NTV Uganda and NMG TV were among the affected outlets, while another said Daily Monitor's website still appeared to be working later in the day.

That uncertainty leaves open whether some services were fully taken offline or whether the action was partly enforced through physical blocking and restrictions around the affected offices.

Reaction and context

The National Association of Broadcasters condemned the move, adding to broader concerns about the treatment of independent media in Uganda. The episode quickly became a press-freedom issue as well as a newsroom access issue.

Daily Monitor is an independent newspaper with a national audience, and NTV Uganda is a major television station. The reach of Nation Media Group means any shutdown affects readers and viewers well beyond the companies themselves.

Kainerugaba's role also gives the order political weight. He is Uganda's military chief and the son of President Yoweri Museveni, a combination that has heightened scrutiny of his increasingly public interventions.

What remains unclear

The main unanswered questions are whether the closures remain in force, what formal justification if any Ugandan authorities have offered, and whether Nation Media Group has issued a detailed response.

For now, the immediate facts are clear: soldiers were deployed outside a major newsroom, a military chief said he could shut down media outlets, and broadcasters warned that the move could have wider consequences for press freedom in Uganda.

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