‘Press freedom is dead’: Journalist detained in Ugandan media crackdown

Lusaka, July 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately release veteran journalist Timothy Kalyegira, whose detention coincides with the military’s shutdown of east and central Africa’s largest media house.

“The detention of Timothy Kalyegira marks another troubling escalation in Uganda’s assault on independent journalism, with authorities using not only soldiers but also regulatory and criminal laws to silence the press,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Ugandan authorities must immediately release Kalyegira and drop the charges against him, and ensure that all journalists in Uganda can report freely without fear of arrest, intimidation, or prosecution.”

After days of anxiety over the whereabouts of Kalyegira, a veteran commentator and outspoken government critic, he appeared before the Kira Chief Magistrate’s Court on June 29, about 14 kilometers (9 miles) east of Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

Kalyegira was charged with operating two digital news outlets — Kampala Express, between 2013 and 2026 and the Uganda Record, between 2014 and 2026 — without broadcasting licenses, according to the charge sheet, reviewed by CPJ. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to one year under the 2013 Uganda Communications Act.

Kalyegira denied the charges and was remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until July 16, his lawyers, Eron Kiiza and Kato Tumusiime, told CPJ.

The journalist has written hundreds of commentaries for the Daily Monitor, which is part of the Nation Media Group-Uganda and which was shut down by a military siege on June 28 after a social media announcement by military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son.

“These charges against Timothy, the pretrial detention that preceded them for more than four days contrary to the 1995 Ugandan Constitution, and his subsequent remanding to Luzira Prison, all signal the Muhoozi-led Ugandan military’s heightened resolve to stamp out vestiges of independent thought and journalism,” Kiiza told CPJ.

“Press freedom is dead,” he said. “The military is shooting it down.”

Tumusiime told CPJ that they were trying to have Kalyegira produced in court before July 16 to apply for bail.

Kalyegira has faced dozens of criminal charges over the years for his political commentary.

Meanwhile, the Nation Media Group-Uganda suspended its digital platforms on July 1 amid ongoing negotiations with the government. Its print and broadcast outlets had already been shuttered on June 28. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity, given the delicacy of ongoing negotiations, told CPJ on July 2 that the media outlet was still awaiting a decision to reopen following a meeting between its principal shareholders and authorities.

CPJ’s calls and text message requesting comment from police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma did not receive a reply.