Uganda’s media landscape is diverse comprising print, television, radio, online, and converged platforms. Currently there are 301 operational FM radio stations, 45 free to air TV stations, and three daily newspapers (2023, ACME 2023). Since the liberalization of the media more than 20 years ago, a great number of media outlets in Uganda are privately owned. Media owners include politicians, entrepreneurs, pastors and religious institutions.
The leading privately owned media companies include Nation Media Uganda which owns NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor newspaper among other platforms, Next Media Services, which owns NBS TV channel and Next Radio station, among others (Reporters Without Borders 2025; ACME 2023).
State media comprises the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) radio and television stations, covering more than 50% of country. Despite its mandate as a public service broadcaster, UBC functions more like a state broadcaster, largely influenced by the government, which also has a controlling stake in the Vision Group, the country’s leading media house, with newspaper titles as well as radio and TV channels (ACME 2023; BBC, 2012).
Radio is the most widely used media platform in the country, although print media remains strong in urban areas, despite its dwindling circulation numbers over the past decade due to the growth in digital media (Burke, 2023).
Press freedom is a key challenge in Uganda, with journalists subjected to various forms of online and offline censorship. Although the country’s constitution guarantees press freedom, the media navigate restrictive laws that criminalize freedom of the press, curtail access to information and complicate use of digital platforms. Such laws include the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2002, the National Information Technology Authority, Uganda Act, 2009, the Regulation of Interception of Communication Act, 2010, The Electronic Transactions Act, 2011, The Uganda Communications Act, 2013 as amended 2017 and more recently, the Computer Misuse Act, 2011 as emended 2022. Journalists face intimidation, including arrest and assault, especially if they criticize the president and his inner circle (Reporters Without Borders 2017; Freedom House 2017; ACME 2023; Unwanted witness 2021).
Amid growing concerns about freedom of expression abound, there remains some semblance in diversity of views and perspectives in the country, with various people still able to use social media and mainstream media to express their views (albeit consciously), including those that are critical of government.
The New Vision is Uganda’s leading English-language daily newspaper. Started by the government of Uganda in 1986, the newspaper is published by Vision Group, a multimedia business conglomerate that publishes newspapers, magazines and internet content. It also has an online portal: newvision.co.ug
Since listing on the Stock Exchange 21 years ago, the government of Uganda remains the majority shareholder in Vision Group, with 53.3% stake (Kagolo, 2024). This has had a big influence on the editorial independence of the newspaper. Sometimes the newspaper reflects bias towards the government. Currently, the paper’s circulation hovers around 23,636 copies per day, reflecting a decline from about 31,000 copies from a decade ago (Uganda Business News, 2020).
The number that best describes The New Vision’s alignment with the state is: 1. HIGH PARALLELISM.
The Daily Monitor is privately owned newspaper and Uganda’s second most influential newspaper. Now under the Nation Media Group, Daily Monitor’s circulation has declined from about 24,000 copies every day to about 11,409 copies currently (Uganda Business News, 2020). The newspaper has had an adversarial relationship with the government because of its critical stance towards government. It has been subjected to closure and police raids, and confiscation of its computers a couple of times (BBC, 2013) over its critical journalism and has been branded by the president as the “evil newspaper” (Reporters Without Borders, 2021).
The number that best describes The Daily Monitor’s alignment with the state is: 3. LOW PARALLELISM.
References
African Centre for Media Excellence. 2024. “State of Uganda’s Media Landscape 2023.” African Centre for Media Excellence. August 12, 2024. https://acme-ug.org/2024/08/12/report-on-the-state-of-ugandas-media-landscape-2023/
BBC. 2013. Uganda’s Daily Monitor raided over Museni ‘plot’.BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-22599347
BBC., 2012. COUNTRY CASE STUDY: UGANDA Support to media where media freedoms and rights are constrained