The iron fist has slammed down on Kampala's newsrooms. Uganda's army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has ordered the shutdown of two of the country's most prominent media outlets: Daily Monitor and the Baba TV. The move, announced late on Tuesday, is being interpreted as a brazen assault on press freedom ahead of the 2026 elections.
Inside the lobby, whispers suggest this is personal. General Kainerugaba, the president's son and heir apparent, has long nursed grievances against the Monitor's investigative journalism. It was the Monitor that broke the story of his alleged torture of opposition figures. It was Baba TV that aired the leaked tape of him threatening to invade Kenya. Now, both are silenced.
The official line? National security. A statement from the Uganda People's Defence Force claimed the outlets were 'peddling hate speech and inciting violence.' But in Kampala's political circles, the real fear is different. Kainerugaba is positioning for power. He wants a compliant press for his coronation. The shutdowns are a dry run for a fully controlled information space.
Opposition figures are already crying foul. 'This is dictatorship,' said Patrick Amuriat of the Forum for Democratic Change. International observers are twitchy. The US embassy called it 'a dangerous step backwards.' But will anyone act? The Commonwealth remains silent. The African Union is distracted.
For journalists still operating, the message is chilling. The general can flick the switch at any time. That is the power of a state with no independent judiciary. That is the power of a son who knows his father's regime is dependent on him for survival. The game in Kampala is now a zero-sum battle for the narrative. And the army has just bought all the papers.
Sources close to the presidency tell me that Museveni himself is uneasy. He remembers the days when he courted the press as a liberation hero. But he is old, and his son is impatient. The general is not just cracking down on journalism. He is clearing the stage. The 2026 dance is about to begin, and only one tune will be played.
