Today in History: Daily Monitor is Born

What the report says

Nile Post, in a “Today in History” item, looked back at the launch of The Monitor, the Ugandan newspaper that later became the Daily Monitor. According to the report, the first edition appeared in 1992 after seven journalists left the Weekly Topic to start a new publication: Wafula Oguttu, Charles Onyango-Obbo, David Ouma Balikowa, Kevin Aliro, Richard Tebere, James Serugo and Kevin O’Connor.

The article says the new paper began with modest means, printing 5,000 copies for its first Friday issue, which sold out in Kampala. It later expanded and became a daily publication in 1996. Nile Post reported that Kenya’s Nation Media Group subsequently bought a majority stake, helping finance modernization and wider distribution. The paper adopted the Daily Monitor name in 2005.

The report also places the newspaper’s growth within Uganda’s broader media history. Monitor Publications Limited developed beyond print, adding outlets including KFM and Dembe FM and growing its digital presence. Nile Post described the Daily Monitor as one of Uganda’s most influential newspapers more than three decades after its founding.

Nile Post further noted that the publication’s history includes confrontations with state authorities. The report cited a 1993 ban on government advertising over critical coverage, newsroom raids in 2002 and 2013, and an 11-day occupation of its premises in 2013 after publication of a leaked military memo. It also reported a June 2026 raid at the Namuwongo headquarters that disrupted Daily Monitor operations and sister outlets including NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM and Dembe FM.