The British government has issued a sharp condemnation after Uganda's army chief ordered the shutdown of two of the country's leading media outlets. The move, described by Whitehall sources as a 'brazen assault on democratic freedoms,' comes amid escalating tensions ahead of next year's elections.
Sources in Kampala tell me the closures were enforced at dawn. Soldiers in plain clothes entered the offices of Daily Monitor and Radio One, both known for critical reporting. Staff were ordered to leave. Equipment was seized. The official line? 'National security.'
But the timing is telling. These outlets have been investigating corruption in the Ugandan People's Defence Force. They have been digging into procurement deals. They have been asking awkward questions about arms spending. Now they are silent.
The Foreign Office was quick to react. A statement from the minister for Africa called the closures 'an unacceptable attack on the free press.' It urged the Ugandan government to reverse the decision immediately. Behind the scenes, however, officials are pragmatic. One diplomatic source told me: 'We will say the right things. But Museveni has heard it all before. He knows our leverage is limited.'
Inside the lobby, there is a familiar frustration. The UK has traded influence for trade deals. It has looked the other way on human rights abuses. Now it finds itself preaching to a regime that no longer listens. Labour's shadow Foreign Office team has seized on the issue. They are calling for sanctions. They want visa bans. The government is resisting. 'Sanctions hurt the people, not the generals,' a No. 10 aide told me.
But the damage is done. The Ugandan shilling has wobbled. Journalists are going underground. The editors of the closed outlets are believed to be in hiding. One of them sent a text message to a colleague in London: 'They have come for us. Pray for Uganda.'
The broader picture is grim. Across Africa, press freedom is in retreat. The pandemic gave governments an excuse to crack down. Now the excuse is security. The UK, once a champion of free expression, has lost its moral authority. Its aid budget has been slashed. Its diplomatic network is stretched thin.
What happens next? The British High Commissioner in Kampala is seeking a meeting with the army chief. It is unlikely to happen. The army chief does not take calls from London. He answers to the president. And the president, Yoweri Museveni, has been in power for 35 years. He knows how to weather a storm.
The real test will come in the polling booths. If the opposition can mobilise, if civil society can hold the line, this could backfire. But that is a big if. The regime has the guns. It has the money. It has the will to stay in power.
For now, the British government is left with words. Strong words. Condemning words. But words are cheap in the game of power. Ask the journalists in Kampala. They know the true cost of a free press.
