Kampala — Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda has suspended all online publishing and broadcasting while negotiations with the government over the reopening of its operations continue.
The decision follows days of discussions between the company’s senior leadership and government officials after security agencies shut down the media house’s operations earlier this week.
According to sources within the company, employees were instructed during a virtual staff meeting on Wednesday evening to stop all digital publications and broadcasts with immediate effect to avoid disrupting the ongoing negotiations.
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“No more online publications or broadcasts for now, as we may jeopardise the ongoing state engagement,” one source quoted management as telling staff.
The meeting was chaired by Group Chief Executive Geoffrey Odindo and Group Editor-in-Chief Joe Ageyo, who travelled from Kenya to Kampala to oversee the discussions. It was attended by NMG Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa, General Manager Editorial Allan Chekwech, editors, journalists and other members of staff.
Management reportedly urged employees to remain calm as talks continue, assuring them that the company’s commitment to editorial independence would remain unchanged once operations resume.
“We shall stick to independent journalism once we are reopened, but at the back of our minds we have to understand the environment we are operating in,” another source quoted management as saying.
Staff were also advised to exercise restraint on social media and avoid comments that could influence public opinion or affect the company’s image during the negotiations.
The directive represents a significant shift in NMG Uganda’s response to the shutdown. After security agencies closed its physical premises on Sunday, the company had continued publishing news through its digital platforms, arguing that no formal order had been issued prohibiting online operations.
During that period, the Daily Monitor continued updating its website with news reports, while journalists covered events without company-branded equipment or identification. NTV Uganda also maintained limited digital output, including livestreaming its flagship Luganda news bulletin, Akawungeezi, on social media despite the suspension of its television broadcasts.
However, Wednesday’s 7:00 p.m. edition of Akawungeezi did not air, signalling that the suspension of online operations had taken effect following the staff meeting.
The developments came hours after a high-level meeting in Entebbe between Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and NMG majority shareholder Rostam Aziz.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Gen. Muhoozi presented a collection of Daily Monitor articles, separating those he considered balanced from those he believed reflected bias in the newspaper’s reporting. He also reportedly raised concerns about several editions of NTV Uganda’s Akawungeezi bulletin, arguing that some reports crossed the line from journalism into activism.
According to those present, Gen. Muhoozi said he had no objection to NMG Uganda’s operations, provided its reporting remained within what he regarded as the boundaries of journalism rather than activism.
The meeting was reportedly held in two sessions, with the first involving NMG Uganda’s senior management and the second attended by a smaller group that included Mr Aziz, his son Saam Aziz, Georgia Mutagaywa, Chief of Staff at Taarifa Limited—the parent company of NMG Uganda—and journalist Andrew Mwenda.
The discussions focused on the closure of NMG Uganda’s operations, including NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor, as well as possible steps towards reopening the media outlets.
Despite raising hopes of a breakthrough, management later informed staff that there was still no clear timeline for when operations would resume.
The continued closure has left hundreds of journalists, technical staff and other employees awaiting the outcome of the negotiations, while audiences remain without access to one of Uganda’s largest independent media organisations.
The talks have also drawn concern from some of the company’s longstanding stakeholders.
Philip Wafula Oguttu, a co-founder of the Daily Monitor and a significant minority shareholder, questioned reports that discussions over the company’s future were taking place without the involvement of local management.
“As a founder and significant minority shareholder in the besieged Monitor newspaper, I got a bit worried when I read a while ago that our new majority shareholder, Mr Rostam Aziz, has met Gen. MK, who ordered the shutdown of NMG Uganda, without our Managing Director or any local manager,” Oguttu wrote on X.
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