Kampala, Uganda: Nation Media Group Uganda (NMG-U), one of the country’s most influential media houses, has announced that it will continue serving audiences through its digital platforms after its Kampala premises were rendered inaccessible following an overnight military operation that disrupted its television, radio, and newspaper operations.
The media house said the operation, carried out at around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 28, affected its offices at Plots 29/35, 8th Street, Namuwongo Industrial Area, as well as its facilities at the Kampala Serena International Conference Centre.
In a statement issued on Sunday afternoon, NMG-U said the operation resulted in the disconnection of electricity and brought normal operations across its broadcast and print platforms to a halt.
“Nation Media Group Uganda (NMG-U) wishes to inform our esteemed readers, viewers, listeners, and stakeholders that our physical premises on Plots 29/35, 8th Street, Industrial Area at Namuwongo, Kampala, and at the Kampala Serena International Conference Centre, have been rendered inaccessible following an overnight raid by the military.”
The company added: “The raid, carried out at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 28, resulted in electricity disconnection and disruption of normal operations across our platforms on radio, TV and newspapers.”
Despite the disruption, the company assured its audiences that news coverage would continue online. “While our offices are closed, we will continue to keep you engaged and informed through our digital platforms.”
The reported military operation followed a series of public posts on X by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on Saturday night and hours before the seige, in which he declared that he had ordered the closure of Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, two of Nation Media Group Uganda’s flagship media brands.
In one of the posts, Gen Muhoozi wrote that he did not believe in a free press and said media should be guided by what he termed “cadres of the revolution.” He further stated that Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda would not reopen without his permission.
Reuters, an international news agency, reported on Sunday that soldiers were subsequently deployed to the company’s Kampala headquarters, preventing staff from entering or leaving the premises, while television and radio broadcasts under Nation Media Group Uganda went off air.
The development comes less than two weeks after heightened tensions between Gen Muhoozi and sections of the media following his extensive use of social media to comment on political and security matters, including the arrest of opposition politician and lawyer Erias Lukwago. Those posts drew criticism from legal and human rights groups.
The incident has also revived memories of the 2013 closure of the Daily Monitor, when security agencies shut down the newspaper’s offices for several days over reports concerning President Museveni’s succession plans.
Nation Media Group, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is one of East Africa’s largest independent media companies. In Uganda, it operates NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor, Spark TV, KFM, Dembe FM, The EastAfrican, Nation Courier and Ennyanda.
By Sunday evening, neither the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the Ministry of Defence nor the government had issued a formal statement explaining the military deployment or responding to Nation Media Group’s allegations. The circumstances surrounding the operation therefore remain officially unclear.
DailyExpress will continue updating this story as more information becomes available.
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