KAMPALA — The National Unity Platform (NUP) has condemned the closure and military deployment at media houses operated by Nation Media Group Uganda, describing the action as an assault on press freedom and the public’s right to access information.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the opposition party said it stood in solidarity with journalists, editors and staff at NTV Uganda, the Daily Monitor, Spark TV and Dembe FM after security personnel reportedly surrounded the media houses from the early hours of the day, disrupting their operations.
The condemnation came hours after the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) defended the suspension of the broadcasters, accusing the outlets of breaching minimum broadcasting standards through their coverage of opposition politician Eddie Mutwe’s alleged detention and other security-related incidents.
In a statement, UCC said the affected broadcasters had aired “unverified, misleading and sensational content” likely to incite public anxiety and undermine national security. The regulator said it had previously warned media houses against broadcasting content that violates the Uganda Communications Act and broadcasting standards.
UCC maintained that broadcasters have a duty to verify information before publication and to ensure their reporting does not prejudice ongoing security operations or threaten public order.
However, NUP dismissed the closure as arbitrary, arguing that it had been carried out outside any known legal framework.
“The closure, enforced outside any known legal framework, is a primitive attack on press freedom and the citizens’ right to access information,” the party said.
The party said the latest developments pointed to what it described as a deepening constitutional crisis and warned Ugandans to expect increased political repression.
“We urge all citizens and institutions, particularly political actors and members of civil society, to prepare for increased repression in the coming days owing to the deepening constitutional crisis in the country,” the statement said.
NUP also expressed sympathy with journalists and other employees likely to suffer economic losses following the shutdown.
“We stand in solidarity with the journalists, editors, staff, leadership and audience of the affected media houses, and empathise with all who are going to bear the related economic losses,” the statement added.
The closure follows days of escalating tensions between the government and sections of the media over coverage of opposition activities.
Earlier, Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba accused some media organisations of spreading what he described as falsehoods and propaganda against the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). In a series of posts on X, Gen Muhoozi warned that media houses that published “lies” about the military would face consequences, insisting the UPDF would not tolerate what he termed deliberate misinformation.
His remarks came after several broadcasters extensively covered allegations surrounding the detention and torture of opposition supporters, including Edward Ssebuufu, popularly known as Eddie Mutwe.
The closure of the Nation Media Group outlets has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and media rights advocates, who argue that it represents a significant escalation in restrictions on press freedom ahead of the 2026 General Election.
Uganda has previously witnessed the suspension of media houses and restrictions on journalists during politically sensitive periods, particularly around elections and major opposition activities. Human rights organisations have repeatedly urged authorities to respect media independence, arguing that a free press is essential for democratic accountability.
By press time, neither the Uganda People’s Defence Forces nor the Police had separately commented on the military deployment at the affected media houses beyond the statements issued by UCC and Gen Muhoozi’s remarks on social media.
