ENTEBBE
Senior executives of Nation Media Group (NMG) on Wednesday met the Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in Entebbe as efforts continued to resolve the shutdown of several of the company's media outlets in Uganda.
The meeting, held at the Special Forces Command (SFC) headquarters, came days after the operations of NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor, Spark TV, KFM, Dembe FM and other Nation Media Group outlets were disrupted following a military-directed shutdown.
Among those who attended the meeting were Nation Media Group owner Rostam Aziz, his son Saam Aziz, and Georgia Mutagaywa.
Veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda and Acting UPDF/Defence Public Information Director Col. Chris Magezi also attended the discussions, which sources described as aimed at finding a resolution to the standoff.
The shutdown has sparked widespread reactions across Uganda, with media practitioners, opposition politicians, and civil society organisations expressing concern over press freedom and the shrinking space for independent journalism. The action has also drawn criticism from international press freedom advocates and foreign leaders, while the government has maintained that it is linked to an ongoing security investigation.
Sources familiar with Wednesday's meeting said the discussions focused on restoring dialogue between the military leadership and Nation Media Group management, amid hopes that the affected media outlets could soon resume operations.
The closure has disrupted television broadcasts, radio programming, newspaper circulation, and digital news operations, affecting audiences across the country at a time of heightened public interest in political and security developments.
By Wednesday evening, neither the Uganda People's Defence Forces nor Nation Media Group had issued an official statement announcing the outcome of the meeting. However, the high-level engagement between Gen. Muhoozi and the Nation Media Group leadership has raised expectations that a resolution to one of Uganda's most closely watched media disputes in recent years could be forthcoming.
