KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s Parliament has excluded all journalists from the Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-Uganda), which operates NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor, from its 2026 media accreditation list, according to documents shared on social media by the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association.
The publicly circulated lists, featuring more than 140 accredited journalists from various news organizations, contain no reporters from NMG-Uganda, one of the country’s largest media houses.
The exclusion marks a significant escalation in restrictions against the media group. NMG journalists have been barred from covering President Yoweri Museveni’s events since March 2025 and were denied access to parliamentary proceedings in October.
Parliamentary officials have not issued an official statement on the 2026 decision. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa previously tied the restrictions to ongoing investigations into the media group, though details of the alleged probes were not provided.
The move drew immediate condemnation from press freedom advocates and opposition lawmakers, particularly as the country approaches general elections scheduled for January 2026. The Committee to Protect Journalists and local groups like the Uganda Journalists Association have criticized the restrictions as an assault on media freedom.
NMG-Uganda management has not commented on the latest development but has previously maintained that the continuing restrictions undermine constitutional guarantees of press freedom and the public’s right to information.
