Daily Monitor closure deepens Uganda’s print media crisis

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing URN, reported on July 25, 2026, that the continued absence of the Daily Monitor and other Nation Media Group Uganda outlets from the market has not produced a clear sales lift for rival newspapers. The outlets have reportedly been unavailable since June 2026 after security forces sealed company premises in Namuwongo and at Kampala Serena Hotel. Vendors and readers interviewed across Uganda said many former Daily Monitor buyers have stopped purchasing newspapers rather than shifting to competing titles.

The report described weaker demand in several locations, including Kampala, Nansana, Masaka, Luwero, Kitgum, Gulu, Soroti, Kapchorwa and Kabale. Some vendors said New Vision, Bukedde, The Observer and The EastAfrican retained loyal audiences, while a few former Daily Monitor readers had moved to New Vision or vernacular titles. But others said unsold copies had increased, institutional subscriptions had not been replaced, and delayed distribution outside Kampala was pushing readers toward radio, social media and online sources.

Dr Gerald Walulya, a senior lecturer in Makerere University’s Department of Journalism and Communication, told the publisher that the survey was not scientific but reflected wider sentiments he had encountered. He said newspaper reading is shaped by habit and brand loyalty, making it hard for readers to transfer their preference to another publication. He warned that prolonged disruption could make new digital habits permanent.

The article placed the development within a longer decline in Uganda’s print sector. It cited Audit Bureau of Circulations figures showing New Vision daily circulation ranging from 23,000 to 34,000 copies and Daily Monitor from 11,000 to 22,000, while Ipsos/NAMS data indicated newspaper readership fell from 8% to 7% between 2019 and 2024/25 as internet and social media use rose from 10% to 26%.