Kenya Editors' Guild calls for swift action after NMG Uganda shutdown

The Kenya Editors' Guild (KEG) has condemned the military shutdown of the Nation Media Group (NMG) in Uganda, ordered by the country's Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

General Muhoozi, son of President Yoweri Museveni, forced the shutdown of NTV Uganda, Spark TV and Daily Monitor on Sunday, vowing a crackdown on free press.

KEG President Zubeidah Kananu said in a statement on Monday that the forced closure presents a grave threat to media freedom and infringes on the right to access independent information.

“The use or threat of military power to silence journalists or shut down news organisations constitutes an unacceptable overreach that has no place in a society governed by law,” the statement read in part.

She added that any grievances against a media organisation must be addressed through established legal procedures.

NMG’s shutdown is believed to be prompted by "bad stories" targeting the nation's top leadership, following a series of hard-hitting news reports and television features focusing on Uganda’s political and security establishment.

The Guild has asserted its solidarity with the accosted journalists, calling for immediate intervention from the government of Uganda.

“We urge the authorities in Uganda to immediately restore access to the affected media premises, uphold due process, respect judicial mechanisms, and guarantee the safety and independence of journalists carrying out their professional duties. An attack on media freedom anywhere in the world diminishes press freedom everywhere,” Kananu added.

She further rallied support from the international community and the East African Community, the African Union, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to speak out against actions that threaten independent journalism and democratic accountability.

Meanwhile, General Muhoozi has maintained that the stations will not reopen without his approval.

"From now on ALL bad stories about Uganda have to be cleared by my office! In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution," he said on X.

"I have the power in Uganda to shut down ANY media house I want to. I have had this power since 2017. This power was given to me by my great father President Kaguta Museveni.”

NMG Uganda owns 20-year-old NTV Uganda, Star TV, Daily Monitor, The East African, Dembe FM, among others.

The independent media house has maintained that it will remain operational on all its social media platforms.