Tanzanian billionaire Rostam Aziz has stepped in personally to help resolve the crisis that has brought Nation Media Group’s (NMG) operations in Uganda to a standstill, making a surprise trip to Entebbe for high-level talks with Uganda’s military leadership.
The meeting comes as efforts gather pace to reopen one of East Africa’s largest independent media houses after its television, radio and newspaper operations were shut down by the military last week.
On Wednesday, July 1, Aziz met Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, at the Special Forces Command headquarters in Entebbe. The discussions took place just days after security agencies ordered the closure of NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM, Dembe FM, and the Daily Monitor’s printing press.
The shutdown sent shockwaves through Uganda’s media industry, with journalists and press freedom advocates expressing concern over the government’s actions.
In the early hours of June 28, armed security officers entered Nation Media Group’s premises in Kampala, taking television and radio stations off air and preventing employees from accessing the newspaper’s printing facilities.
The crackdown followed a series of social media posts by General Muhoozi, who accused the media house of publishing coverage he considered hostile and unfair to the Ugandan government.
Aziz did not travel alone. He was accompanied by his son, Saam Aziz, and Georgia Mutagaywa, Chief of Staff at Taarifa Limited, the investment company through which Aziz controls Nation Media Group. Also present was journalist Andrew Mwenda, who has previously acted as a go-between in discussions involving the military and media organisations, as well as the Acting UPDF Director of Defence Public Information, Colonel Chris Magezi.
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A statement issued after the meeting said the discussions focused on what Ugandan authorities described as biased and malicious reporting by Nation Media Group. According to the statement, the company’s owners expressed their intention to continue pursuing journalism that is “patriotic, balanced and objective.”
While the talks appear to have opened a path toward resolving the standoff, the fate of the affected media outlets remains uncertain.
General Muhoozi said he would brief President Yoweri Museveni on the outcome of the meeting, adding that the president will make the final decision on whether Nation Media Group’s television, radio and newspaper operations can resume. No timeline was given for that decision.
For Aziz, the dispute is an early and unexpected test of his leadership at Nation Media Group.
Only a few months ago, in March, the Tanzanian businessman completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in the media company from the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, bringing to an end more than six decades of Aga Khan ownership of one of East Africa’s most influential news organisations.
What began as a business investment has quickly evolved into a sensitive political and diplomatic challenge. How the negotiations unfold in the coming days will not only determine the future of Nation Media Group’s operations in Uganda but could also shape the relationship between independent media and state authorities in the country.
