NMG begins phased return after UCC clearance

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing URN and Daily Monitor material, reports that Nation Media Group Uganda has started a gradual restart after the Uganda Communications Commission cleared it to resume business following a shutdown that lasted about a month. The Kampala-based media company is initially returning through digital publishing while technical staff prepare to inspect broadcast and printing systems that have been out of reach since security agencies closed its premises in June.

According to the report, UCC informed NMG Uganda management that it had received instructions from President Yoweri Museveni authorising the reopening. Senior NMG officials, including Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa and General Manager Editorial Allan Chekwech, had held meetings with the regulator before the clearance was issued. The company has not yet regained access to key sites, including its Namuwongo headquarters and Serena offices, so teams are expected to check studios, servers, presses and other equipment before print and broadcast services fully return.

The first restored product is expected to be a Daily Monitor electronic edition, alongside updates on the news website. NTV Uganda and Spark TV are also set to resume in stages by putting news bulletins and selected programmes online before normal broadcasting restarts. For now, the company is operating remotely with a limited workforce from unaffected commercial offices in Kampala, while temporary broadcast arrangements are being prepared.

The closure, which began on June 28, affected Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM and Dembe FM. The Independent reports that the government linked the action to security investigations, though no findings or detailed basis had been made public. Unanswered issues include whether any reopening conditions were imposed and when full operations will resume.