Pressure on leading media houses intensified on Thursday after Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, allegedly issued a series of strong statements targeting outlets under the Nation Media Group, including NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor.
In posts circulating widely on social media, Muhoozi escalated his earlier remarks by suggesting that the two media houses would soon be shut down, accusing them of long-standing negative reporting against his father and the state.
“As for NTV and Daily Monitor they have been great circus clowns for my father for 40 years now. They made billions of shillings on the torment of thousands. But those days are over! Mzee has handed them to us,” one of the statements read.
In another post, he added: “NTV and Daily Monitor have NO hope of staying open. I will SHUT them down very soon!”
The remarks have triggered renewed debate over press freedom and the boundaries of public communication by senior military officials.
While the statements have not been accompanied by any formal directive or government notice, they have nonetheless drawn attention due to Muhoozi’s position within Uganda’s security establishment.
The comments also follow earlier reports in which the same media houses aired coverage examining Muhoozi’s online activity, including his history of controversial statements and recent allegations circulating online involving the alleged abduction of former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
Nation Media Group has previously responded to similar tensions by citing the importance of press freedom, referencing past remarks attributed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during a 1980 UNLF rally, in which he stated that “Freedom of speech is a right of the people and not a favour from the [Ugandan] government.”
Despite the escalating rhetoric online, both NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor continue to operate normally, with no official communication indicating any regulatory or administrative action against them.