By URN
Kampala, Uganda: Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda has suspended all online publishing and digital broadcasting across its media platforms as negotiations with the government over the reopening of its operations continue.
The directive, issued to editorial teams on Wednesday evening, extends the media house’s shutdown beyond its television, radio, and print operations, effectively silencing the company’s digital platforms, including Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda.
The decision followed a series of high-level meetings involving senior executives from NMG’s Kenyan headquarters and staff in Kampala as the company seeks to resolve the ongoing impasse with government.
Sources within the company said the discussions began earlier this week after Group Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Odindo and Group Editor-in-Chief Joe Ageyo travelled to Kampala to lead engagements over the crisis.
The executives reportedly held a number of internal meetings before convening a virtual staff meeting on Wednesday evening, attended by NMG Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa, General Manager Editorial Allan Chekwech, editors, journalists and other employees.
During the meeting, management directed staff to halt all online publications and digital broadcasts with immediate effect. “No more online publications or broadcasts for now, as we may jeopardise the ongoing state engagement,” management reportedly told staff.
According to sources privy to the meeting, employees were asked to remain patient as negotiations continue, while management reiterated the company’s commitment to editorial independence once operations resume.
“We shall stick to independent journalism once we are reopened, but at the back of our minds, we have to understand the environment we are operating in,” management reportedly said.
Staff were also advised to exercise restraint on social media and avoid public comments that could undermine the ongoing discussions or affect the company’s public image.
The latest directive marks a significant shift from the days immediately following the shutdown of NMG Uganda’s operations by security agencies.
Although television and radio broadcasts had ceased, Daily Monitor continued publishing stories on its website, while journalists remained in the field covering news without company-branded equipment or official identification.
Similarly, NTV Uganda continued producing limited digital content, including livestreaming its flagship Luganda news bulletin, Akawungeezi, on social media despite the suspension of its conventional television broadcasts.
That changed on Wednesday evening when viewers expecting the regular 7:00 p.m. edition of Akawungeezi found no broadcast, confirming that the directive to suspend online operations had taken effect.
What happened in the Muhoozi-NMG Meeting?
The decision came hours after a closed-door meeting at the Special Forces Command (SFC) headquarters in Entebbe between Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and senior officials from Nation Media Group.
The meeting was attended by NMG majority shareholder Rostam Aziz, his son Saam Aziz, Georgia Mutagaywa, Chief of Staff at Taarifa Limited, and journalist Andrew Mwenda, who has publicly stated that discussions aimed at resolving the standoff have been ongoing.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, Gen. Muhoozi reportedly presented examples of published Daily Monitor articles, separating those he considered balanced from those he believed demonstrated editorial bias.
The discussions also reportedly examined coverage by NTV Uganda’s Akawungeezi news bulletin, with concerns raised that some reports had crossed what officials described as the boundary between journalism and activism.
Sources said the Chief of Defence Forces maintained that government had no objection to Nation Media Group operating, provided its journalism remained professional and objective.
The talks were reportedly conducted in two phases, with the first involving senior NMG Uganda managers before a second session attended by a smaller group that included the company’s majority shareholder.
Despite the meeting raising hopes of a breakthrough, management later informed employees that there was still no certainty regarding when the company would be permitted to resume operations.
The uncertainty has left hundreds of journalists, technical staff and other employees awaiting the outcome of the negotiations, while audiences remain without access to one of Uganda’s largest independent media organisations.
The negotiations have also drawn attention from some of the company’s founders and shareholders.
Philip Wafula Oguttu, a co-founder of the Daily Monitor and a minority shareholder, publicly questioned reports suggesting that discussions over the company’s future were taking place without the participation of local management.
“As a founder and significant minority shareholder in the besieged Monitor newspaper, I got a bit worried when I read a while ago that our new majority shareholder, Mr Rostam Aziz, has met Gen. MK, who ordered the shutdown of NMG Uganda, without our Managing Director or any local manager,” Oguttu wrote on X.
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