STORY
Uganda’s military chief has ordered the closure of leading independent media outlets in a sharp escalation of the country’s authoritarian drift, using the power of the army to suppress journalism and tighten control over public debate.
Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and a likely successor to his father, ordered the shutdown of the Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, two of the country’s most prominent independent media organisations. Soldiers were deployed to the Daily Monitor’s offices in Kampala, preventing staff from entering or leaving the premises.
The move represents a grave attack on press freedom in a country already facing growing concern over militarisation, political intimidation and the repression of dissent. Kainerugaba made no serious attempt to disguise the nature of the intervention, declaring on social media that he did not believe in a free press and that the media should be guided by cadres of the revolution.
The closure order comes after a period of deepening repression in Uganda, where Museveni has ruled since 1986 and where opposition figures, lawyers and activists have faced increasing pressure. Kainerugaba has become an increasingly powerful political figure, combining his military role with open political ambition and a public style marked by threats and inflammatory statements.