Uganda Military Shuts Media Outlets as Talks to Reopen Continue
Last update: June 30, 2026
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Soldiers have locked journalists out of six major media houses in Uganda, and now the US is questioning its security ties with Kampala.
A major East African media group is locked in talks with Uganda’s military after soldiers shut down its outlets in the country over the weekend, cbinews.tv reports.
Staff at Kenya-headquartered Nation Media Group (NMG) still can’t access their offices in Kampala, the group’s managing director in Uganda told reporters. The shutdown has affected six newspapers, radio and TV stations, including the Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda.
Uganda’s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son, ordered the closures on Sunday. He said the outlets wouldn’t reopen without his permission, but didn’t give specific reasons for the shutdown.
It’s the latest move in a string of restrictions linked to Kainerugaba, who’s often touted as a possible successor to his ageing father. He’s well known for fiery social media posts and has previously issued death threats against critics, including opposition leader Bobi Wine.
“Negotiations are ongoing at different levels for reopening,” said Susan Nsibirwa, NMG’s managing director for Uganda. She added that military personnel had surrounded the offices.
Kainerugaba himself posted on X late on Sunday that discussions about reopening were underway. Uganda’s military spokesperson hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
Amnesty International says at least six outlets were shut down by the military: the Daily Monitor, NTV, Dembe FM, Spark TV, KFM and The East African. Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty’s East and Southern Africa director, said in a statement on Monday: “The president’s son continues his unchecked and unjust campaign of harassment and intimidation of independent media and civil society.”
The shutdown has drawn international attention. US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch said on X that the United States should review its security relationship with Uganda. He added that Kainerugaba’s attacks on free speech, including shuttering major media houses, made him and the Ugandan military “unfit partners”.
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