Daily Monitor

Overview

Daily Monitor is Uganda's largest independent daily newspaper, published by Monitor Publications Limited, majority-owned by Nairobi-based Nation Media Group (NMG). As of this writing, the paper is shut down under Ugandan military order.

History

Launched as a weekly, The Monitor, in 1992, becoming a daily in 1996; renamed Daily Monitor in June 2005. Purchased by Nation Media Group in 2000. NMG itself was founded in 1959 by Aga Khan IV; on March 10, 2026, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development sold its 54.08 percent controlling stake in NMG to Taarifa Ltd., a company owned by Tanzanian billionaire Rostam Aziz, ending 66 years of Aga Khan ownership. Ugandan authorities have repeatedly clashed with the paper: police shut it down for 11 days in 2013 over a leaked letter concerning a rumored presidential succession plan, and NTV Uganda was forced off air in 2007. On June 28, 2026, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba (President Yoweri Museveni's son), ordered armed military personnel to raid and occupy the premises of Daily Monitor and sister broadcaster NTV Uganda in Kampala, declaring on social media "I do not believe in a free press" and stating the outlets would not reopen without his permission. The Uganda Communications Commission acknowledged NMG's broadcast outlets had gone off air. The International Federation of Journalists and other press-freedom groups condemned the action and demanded the outlets' immediate reopening.

Notable works

Filed a Supreme Court petition in 2019 challenging Uganda's communications blackout during unrest tied to the "Muhoozi Project" succession controversy. Its executive editor, Anuradha-style investigative reporting has repeatedly examined Uganda's security establishment and political succession questions, prompting recurring government reprisals.

Key personnel

Managing Director, Monitor Publications Limited: role held under NMG's Uganda division (no individually confirmed current title-holder identified in available sourcing following the 2026 ownership change)
Majority Owner, Nation Media Group: Rostam Aziz (Taarifa Ltd.)
Chief Executive Officer, Nation Media Group: role in transition following the March 2026 ownership change

Audience

English-language readers across Uganda and the East African region.

Location and contact info

Address
Plots 29/35, 8th Street, Industrial Area
Namuwongo, Kampala, Uganda
Website
https://www.monitor.co.ug (outlet reported inaccessible amid the June 2026 shutdown)