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Ugandan’s main independent newspaper Daily Monitor website was on Wednesday shut down by the country’s communication regulator.
The parent company, Monitor Publications Limited, was accused of providing online news contrary to the law.
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Ugandan citizen reading the Daily Monitor
Godfrey Mutabazi who is the head of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) stated that the company had failed to register under the data communications regulations introduced last year.
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The directive came after the authorities discovered the registration issue during an investigation into a complaint made by the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga over an article that was published on Monday.
The article claimed that Kadaga had sought the help of a witch doctor 30 years ago to propel her political career but failed to pay the doctor the amount agreed.
Kadaga however disregarded the claims and termed them as fake news.
NMG's investment in Uganda
The shutdown is a huge blow to Nation Media Group who have a 76.5 per cent stake in the company.
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Nation Media Group building on Kimathi Street, Nairobi
NMG, which is the largest privately-owned media house in East Africa, was established by Aga Khan IV.
Aside from the newspaper, the organisation is also in possession of the Kampala based radio station KFM and TV stations NTV Uganda and Spark TV.