Veteran journalist and Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) Central Executive Committee member Andrew Mwenda has announced that NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor are set to resume operations soon after holding discussions with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
In a statement shared on Monday, Mwenda said the PLU leadership had agreed with Gen. Muhoozi to reopen the two Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets. He, however, said the decision would first be followed by talks with the management of the media houses.
“I have just held discussions with CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and we, as leaders of PLU, have agreed that we shall reopen both Daily Monitor and NTV soon. However, we shall first have discussions with the management of both sister companies. I will inform them when we can have this meeting,” Mwenda said.
The announcement comes amid intense public interest following the shutdown of NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor, and other Nation Media Group outlets.
The closure was ordered by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who publicly declared that the media houses would “not re-open without my permission.”
In a series of posts on X, Muhoozi said he does not believe in a free press, writing:
“In Uganda, I do not believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”
The CDF did not provide specific reasons for ordering the shutdown of the media outlets, which are owned by Nation Media Group (NMG), a Kenyan media company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
Following the directive, military personnel were reportedly deployed at NMG’s headquarters in Kampala. The Daily Monitor reported that staff were prevented from entering or leaving the premises, while NTV Uganda, Spark TV, Dembe FM, KFM, and other NMG broadcast platforms went off air.
Mwenda’s latest announcement has raised expectations that the media houses could soon resume operations, although no official timeline has been announced. The reopening is expected to depend on the outcome of the planned meeting between PLU leaders and the management of Nation Media Group.
The developments come as Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is widely seen as a possible successor to President Yoweri Museveni, continues to attract attention for his outspoken and often controversial posts on social media.
