Written by: Badr Ahmed

The Ugandan army chief of staff, General Muhoozi Kaynirugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, sparked widespread controversy after announcing the closure of two of the country's leading media outlets, stating explicitly that he does not believe in press freedom. .

Kainirugaba said in a series of posts on his X platform account on Sunday that the Daily Monitor, Uganda's largest independent daily newspaper, and NTV Uganda, one of the largest private television channels, would not reopen without his permission. .

Ugandan president's son shuts down major media outlets: "I don't believe in press freedom."

He added: “In Uganda, I do not believe in freedom of the press. The media must be guided by the cadres of the revolution,” in statements that sparked widespread criticism from human rights organizations and observers who considered them an indication of escalating pressure on independent media.

The Chief of Staff did not provide any specific justifications for the closure decision, noting that the two media outlets belong to the Nation Media Group (NMG), a Kenyan media company listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange and one of the largest media groups in East Africa.

The Daily Monitor reported that military forces deployed on Sunday morning at the media group's headquarters in the capital, Kampala, preventing employees from entering or leaving the building, while all NTV Uganda channels and the group's radio and television stations ceased broadcasting.

There has been no official comment from the Ugandan government regarding the reasons for the closure. Government spokesperson Allan Kasuga did not respond to a request for comment. Susan Nsibirwa, CEO of NMG Uganda, also stated that she had no comment at this time.

This development comes at a time when Uganda is facing repeated criticism from human rights organizations over the state of public freedoms and freedom of expression, especially with the growing influence of Muhoozi Kaynirugaba, who is widely seen as the leading candidate to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country since 1986.

The closure of the most prominent independent media platforms raises growing concerns about the future of press freedom in Uganda, amid escalating security and political interference in the work of the media, ahead of anticipated political events in the country.