The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance on Tuesday confirmed that the disruption of Nation Media Group's operations on June 28 was occasioned by a security-led inquiry instituted by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, offering the clearest government position yet on an episode that has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates and legal experts.
In a press statement signed by the Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Rt. Hon. Justine Lumumba Kasule, the ministry said the inquiry brings together the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces, the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Uganda Police Force, and other security agencies and experts.
The statement, dated June 30, did not detail the specific conduct under investigation or give a timeline for its conclusion, but assured the public that government would issue further communication once the process is complete.
The clarification follows three days of disruption at Nation Media Group's Ugandan operations, which include the Daily Monitor newspaper, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, 93.3 KFM, 90.4 Dembe FM, Ennyanda and the Nation Courier. Security personnel moved on the media house's headquarters in Namuwongo and its broadcast centre at the Kampala Serena International Conference Centre shortly before 1am on June 28, cutting power and sealing both premises before NTV Uganda and Spark TV went off air by daybreak.
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The operation came hours after Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced on X that he had ordered the shutdown of NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor, saying he had received the President's approval for the action. Nation Media Group Uganda said in a statement that its premises had been rendered inaccessible following the raid, but that it would continue serving audiences through its digital platforms while the situation develops. The company's Managing Director, Susan Nsibirwa, has said the priority remains the safety of her teams alongside dialogue to resolve the standoff.
The episode has drawn condemnation from press freedom bodies. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Ugandan authorities to remove security forces from the premises and allow the company to operate freely, with its Africa director describing the deployment as an indication of deepening authoritarianism. The Institute for Justice and Accountability Uganda said the presence of armed personnel at the media house violated constitutional protections on press freedom and access to information, while a legal aid official told local media that the closure deprives the public of reliable information and falls outside the regulatory mandate ordinarily exercised by the Uganda Communications Commission under the Uganda Communications Act of 2013.
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The National Association of Broadcasters said it had taken note of the circumstances and was engaging the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the UCC and the Chief of Defence Forces to establish the facts and seek a resolution. The UCC, for its part, said it had begun consultations with relevant government stakeholders to obtain verified information and would provide updates through its official channels.
Andrew Mwenda, a journalist and Central Committee member of the Patriotic League of Uganda, an organisation chaired by Gen. Kainerugaba, said discussions were under way toward reopening the affected outlets, though no firm date has been given. Tuesday's ministry statement stopped short of indicating when normal operations might resume, leaving the outcome of the inquiry, and the fate of the country's largest independent media house, still unresolved.
