Shokingly many were rattle to find out yesterday that Uganda’s communications regulator on Wednesday ordered the country’s main independent newspaper the Daily Monitor to shut down its website.
In a letter to the newspaper’s managing director, the head of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Godfrey Mutabazi, said the Daily Monitor had failed to register under data communications regulations introduced in 2018.
But he denied the move against the Daily Monitor’s website was an attempt to silence undesirable coverage of the Speaker who is a prominent member of the ruling party of longtime President Yoweri Museveni.
The Daily Monitor website had on Monday reported on a legal case launched last month by a “witch doctor” who alleged that almost 30 years ago, Kadaga had used the traditional healer’s services to boost her political career, but had never paid him the agreed fee.
Soon after the paper’s shut down, it has been revealed that police in Uganda are holding Kenyan Journalist Kassim Mohamed together with the wife of Solomon Serwanja and other journalists.
Various journalists have ome out in Kenya demanding their release.
Police in #Uganda are holding my friend, Kenyan journalist @Kmohamed, together with wife of @nbstv journalist @SolomonSerwanjj and other journalists. We call for their immediate release! #JournalismIsNotACrime
— Rosebell Kagumire ♉ (@RosebellK) February 7, 2019
My friend and Kenya based BBC Journalist @Kmohamed being held by Security authorities in Uganda. He and two others have been detained by police over what they say is “a story they were working on” #Journalismisnotacrime #KOT
— Joy Doreen BIIRA (@JoyDoreenBiira) February 7, 2019
I learnt with worry that @PoliceUg were/are involved in a search and arrest operation of my colleague @SolomonSerwanjj who is conducting a key investigation into the abuse of power and processes.
Three BBC journalists and @VivianSerwanjja, his wife have been arrested [cont’d..
— Mujuni Raymond (@qataharraymond) February 7, 2019