Breaking! Gen Muhoozi Shuts Down NTV, Spark TV | Security Forces Raid NMG Premises

By Swift Reporter

NTV Uganda and Spark TV were forced off air in the early hours of Sunday following an overnight security operation at the premises of Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda in Namuwongo and Kampala Serena Hotel.

By approximately 5:00 a.m., viewers attempting to access NTV Uganda and Spark TV were met with blank screens displaying the message, “Video unavailable,” while several of the media group’s radio stations, including 93.3 KFM and 90.4 Dembe FM, also appeared to have gone off air.

The security deployment began shortly after midnight, with personnel surrounding the company’s premises. Staff inside the facilities reported that no one was being allowed to enter or leave as the operation unfolded.

The raid came hours after Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced on his official X account that NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor would be shut down.

“NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!” Gen. Muhoozi posted shortly after 1:00 a.m.

In a subsequent post, he added:

“Both NTV and Monitor will not re-open without my permission.”

Earlier, the army chief had also written:

“In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”

The posts followed several days of escalating criticism directed at the media house, during which Gen. Muhoozi repeatedly suggested he was awaiting permission from President Yoweri Museveni before taking action against the company. He had also announced that journalists working for NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor would no longer be permitted to cover the President’s activities.

Operations Disrupted

By dawn, security personnel remained stationed at the Nation Media Group offices in Namuwongo and at Kampala Serena Hotel, where some of the broadcaster’s operations are based.

Employees reported they were unable to leave or access the premises as the operation continued.

As of publication, there had been no official statement from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the Uganda Police Force or the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) explaining the deployment or announcing any legal order authorising the shutdown of the broadcaster or newspaper.

Nation Media Group Uganda had also not issued an official statement by press time.

It remained unclear how long the disruption would last.

Major Media House Affected

Nation Media Group is Uganda’s largest independent media organisation, operating several print, broadcast and digital platforms.

Its Ugandan operations include NTV Uganda, Spark TV, the Daily Monitor, The EastAfrican, 93.3 KFM, 90.4 Dembe FM, Ennyanda newspaper, and the Nation Courier, among other media investments.

The company employs more than 500 people in Uganda.

The wider Nation Media Group is the largest independent media company in East and Central Africa, with operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. The company is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Uganda Securities Exchange, Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and the Rwanda Stock Exchange.

History Of Confrontations

This is not the first time Nation Media Group’s Ugandan operations have faced action from state authorities.

In May 2013, police sealed the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM offices following publication of a letter alleging a succession plan popularly referred to as the “Muhoozi Project.” The outlets remained closed for more than a week before resuming operations after negotiations with authorities.

Earlier, in February 2007, only months after NTV Uganda launched, the broadcaster was temporarily taken off air following government complaints over its news coverage.

President Museveni has also, on several occasions over the years, criticised the Daily Monitor, at one point describing it as an “enemy and evil newspaper” because of its reporting.

As of Sunday morning, neither government authorities nor regulators had publicly explained the legal basis for the security operation, leaving uncertainty over when the broadcaster’s television, radio and newspaper operations would resume.