Ugandan military commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced on Sunday that he had issued an order to shut down two of the country’s prominent media organizations. Kainerugaba, who serves as the son of long-standing President Yoweri Museveni, defended the decision by explicitly stating that he does not believe in the existence of a free press.
In a series of messages posted to the social media platform X, Kainerugaba declared the closure of the Daily Monitor newspaper and the NTV broadcaster. He claimed that this action fell within the scope of authority granted to him by the presidency, asserting that media houses should be guided by revolutionary cadres rather than independent principles. He further remarked that he has held the power to shutter any media entity since 2017, a mandate he credited to his father, who has governed Uganda since 1986.
Kainerugaba warned that these closures represented only the start of his efforts, threatening to pursue arrests against more individuals. Beyond the media crackdown, his social media activity included a range of inflammatory remarks, vulgar jokes, and threats directed at various public figures, alongside a xenophobic suggestion regarding the expulsion of all Turkish nationals from the country.
Regarded as a potential successor to his father, Kainerugaba has been the head of the Ugandan military since 2024. He has previously gained notoriety for controversial online outbursts, including past threats made against opposition leader Bobi Wine. The affected media outlets, the Daily Monitor and NTV, are both subsidiaries of the Kenya-based Nation Media Group.
Reports from Sunday indicated that military personnel were deployed to the Nation Media Group headquarters located in Kampala. Staff members were reportedly barred from entering or exiting the facility during the operation. According to the National Association of Broadcasters in Uganda, at least six different publishing and broadcasting outlets associated with the group were impacted by the closures. Susan Nsibirwa, the managing director of the Nation Media Group, did not provide an immediate statement regarding the situation.
