Activist and scholar Stella Nyanzi has launched a sharp attack on senior media figures Alan Kasujja and Andrew Mwenda following the controversial shutdown of Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets in Uganda.
The closures, reportedly ordered under the authority of Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, have triggered fresh debate over press freedom and political influence in the country.
In a statement, Nyanzi accused both Kasujja, the head of the Uganda Media Centre, and Mwenda, a veteran journalist and communications director under the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), of failing to defend media independence.
She questioned their silence despite their positions within the same political structure linked to the shutdown.
Nyanzi revisited her personal history with Kasujja, recalling their early academic days at Makerere University in the 1990s.
She described how she supported him during his formative years as a journalism student, contrasting that past with what she termed his current inaction.
“I am deeply ashamed… Why didn’t Alan Kasujja and Andrew Mwenda protect press freedom and free speech from Muhoozi’s iron fist?” she stated, framing the shutdown as an “illegal” act that undermines democratic principles.
The activist further expressed disappointment in Mwenda, whom she described as a former classmate and once principled journalist.
She accused him of abandoning core journalistic values and aligning himself with political power at the expense of media independence.
Nyanzi’s remarks come amid growing scrutiny of the role of the Patriotic League of Uganda, a political outfit associated with Gen. Kainerugaba, in state and media affairs.
Critics argue that the shutdown of major outlets such as Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM, and Dembe FM signals increasing pressure on independent journalism.
In her statement, Nyanzi used strong language to question the relevance of both Kasujja and Mwenda within Uganda’s media landscape, arguing that their failure to speak out weakens the broader fight for free expression.
“They cannot defend press freedom, media freedom, free speech or free expression. Of what use are they to journalism in Uganda?” she posed.
The shutdown of NMG outlets has not been officially explained in detail by authorities, but it has sparked reactions from journalists, civil society actors, and political commentators both within Uganda and internationally.