Armed soldiers surrounded the Kampala headquarters of Uganda's largest independent media group in the early hours of Sunday, forcing television stations off air and barring journalists from entering their offices in what the company described as a "military siege." The shutdown was ordered by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, chief of Uganda's armed forces and the son of President Yoweri Museveni, who posted on X that he does not "believe in a free press" and that media "should be guided by cadres of the revolution."

The targeted outlets belong to the Nation Media Group (NMG), East Africa's largest independent media company, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Its Ugandan operations include NTV Uganda and Spark TV — both taken off air, their screens displaying the message "video unavailable" — as well as the Daily Monitor, Uganda's oldest and most widely read independent newspaper. Kainerugaba announced on X that his father had approved the closure plan, writing "We are starting immediately!" and later confirming that neither NTV nor the Daily Monitor would "re-open without my permission." He added that NMG's managing director would be sought for "disciplining."

The shutdown comes amid a broader and rapidly escalating crackdown on dissent. In recent weeks, soldiers arrested Erias Lukwago, a defence lawyer and former mayor of Kampala, with Kainerugaba posting images of him apparently being held in a basement. Martha Karua, a prominent Kenyan human rights lawyer who flew in to assist in the high-profile treason trial of veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye — detained since late 2024 — was detained at the border and deported. A government-critical journalist known online as "Tabz" disappeared for five days and, upon release, described being stripped and humiliated without a warrant. Former ethics minister Miria Matembe, 72, publicly criticised these actions and subsequently went missing after her home was raided. Uganda's bar association responded by calling a collective strike last Friday; the remaining free media covered it — and are now being punished for doing so.

Civil society and international observers have condemned the events in stark terms. The Committee to Protect Journalists and opposition leader Bobi Wine — now in exile — denounced the closures, with Wine warning that Uganda is now under "open military rule, where fear replaces law and force replaces accountability." The Institute for Justice and Accountability called on the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom to impose targeted sanctions on Kainerugaba, stating that "there is no institution left in Uganda that can stop him." Uganda's National Broadcasters Association said the shutdown violated the country's constitution.

The crackdown reflects the consolidation of power around the Museveni family. The 81-year-old president, who came to power in 1986 as a guerrilla leader and has governed Uganda for nearly four decades, won a record seventh term in January in elections the United Nations said were held in an "environment marked by widespread repression and intimidation." He is widely believed to be grooming his son as his successor. Uganda already ranks 143rd out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index, which notes that journalists face intimidation and violence on a near-daily basis. Sunday's events represent what observers call a significant and visible step beyond harassment toward outright state suppression of the independent press.