Kampala — Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura has publicly questioned Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) spokesperson Andrew Mwenda over what she described as a pattern of making public assurances that fail to materialise.
In a post on X, Nyanjura cited two recent instances: the expectation that opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye would be released on bail and Mwenda’s announcement that the closed Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets would soon resume operations.
“When Erias Lukwago appeared in court for his bail ruling, family members and supporters were genuinely hopeful he would be released, especially after the public assurances made by PLU spokesperson Andrew Mwenda,” Nyanjura wrote.
She added that a similar situation had arisen following Mwenda’s announcement that NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor would be reopened “soon.”
“The same thing happened when Mwenda announced the imminent reopening of Nation Media Group outlets. He confidently stated that he and the CDF had agreed to have them back on air ‘soon’. We have waited and waited, but nothing has materialised yet. How soon is soon?” she said.
Nyanjura questioned why Mwenda had not publicly clarified the status of the promises.
“This raises a serious question: When a person of Mwenda’s stature makes public commitments that completely fail to happen, why does he never come back to clarify, verify, or apologize to the public?” she wrote.
Mwenda’s remarks on the reopening of Nation Media Group outlets followed the closure of NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM and Daily Monitor by security agencies after an operation ordered by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. On June 29, Mwenda announced that he had held discussions with the CDF and that they had agreed the media houses would be reopened after engagements with the company’s management.
Subsequently, Gen. Muhoozi met officials from Nation Media Group Uganda, including owner Rostam Aziz and senior company executives, to discuss the shutdown. At the conclusion of the meeting, government officials indicated that the CDF would brief President Yoweri Museveni before a final decision on reopening the media outlets was taken. As of Monday, the affected outlets had not resumed operations.
Nyanjura also referenced the recent High Court proceedings involving Dr. Besigye, where his lead counsel, Erias Lukwago, appeared for a ruling on a bail application. However, the court did not grant the relief sought, contrary to expectations expressed by some supporters.
Neither Mwenda nor the Patriotic League of Uganda had publicly responded to Nyanjura’s latest comments by the time of publication.
