Kampala, Uganda: Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has demanded sweeping editorial reforms as a key condition for the reopening of Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda, including the recruitment of what he described as professional editors and journalists committed to objective reporting.
The development was disclosed by veteran journalist and Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) spokesperson Andrew Mwenda, who said he attended a closed-door meeting between Gen Muhoozi and senior executives of Nation Media Group at the Special Forces Command (SFC) headquarters in Entebbe.
According to Mwenda, the meeting brought together NMG investor Rostam Aziz, his son Saam Aziz, and senior military officials to discuss a possible roadmap for restoring the media company’s operations.
Mwenda said the discussions resulted in an agreement in principle under which the broadcaster and newspaper publisher would undertake editorial reforms before resuming operations.
“The terms and conditions have been logged. The government simply wants them to be professional. As a core condition of the agreement to move forward, NMG must hire professional editors and recruit professional journalists who will adhere strictly to a mandate of objective reporting,” Mwenda said.
He added that the latest engagement formalised discussions that had been taking place behind the scenes and expressed optimism that NMG could resume operations sooner than previously expected.
“Because of the firm commitments made to restructure their standards, we are looking at a reopening of the media company that may happen far sooner than anyone expected.”
Mwenda further claimed that Gen Muhoozi presented NMG executives with what he described as an intelligence report analysing five years of coverage by NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor and KFM, alleging a persistent anti-government editorial bias.
“The report presented clear evidence that 97% of NMG’s top cover stories were negative toward the government,” Mwenda claimed.
He further alleged that the report questioned whether the media house had remained faithful to its editorial mandate, although DailyExpress has not independently verified the contents or methodology of the purported report.
Background to the Dispute
The meeting comes weeks after security personnel shut down Nation Media Group Uganda’s broadcast operations, following a period of heightened tension between the government and the media house.
Authorities have previously linked the action to NMG’s coverage of opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye, although officials have also suggested that the dispute reflected broader concerns over the company’s editorial direction.
Information Minister Rt. Hon. Justine Kasule Lumumba earlier this week confirmed that the operation to suspend NMG’s broadcasting activities was authorised by President Yoweri Museveni.
Neither Nation Media Group Uganda nor its parent company had, by publication time, publicly commented on Mwenda’s account of the Entebbe meeting or confirmed the alleged conditions for reopening.
Similarly, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Special Forces Command had not released an official statement detailing the outcome of the discussions.
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