The Daily Nation Web News, Nairobi-Kenya
'Monitor' is back in business
and Agencies
A leading Ugandan daily was back in business yesterday, a week after the government closed it and ringed its offices with security forces.
The Monitor, the country's only independent daily, was shut after the government accused it of publishing false stories. The accusations arose from a lead story the newspaper published last week, alleging that an army helicopter had crashed in combat. Police withdrew from the paper's offices on Wednesday and returned seized files, mobile phones and computers to the editors. The paper is on the streets today.
"We are coming out tomorrow (Friday) with a bigger paper, twice the size of the normal edition," Sunday Monitor editor Charles Bichachi, said.
The decision to end the siege was announced after a meeting between Nation Media Group Chairman Hannington Awori, the Group's Editorial Board Committee Chairman, Mr Francis Okello and Group Editorial Director Wangethi Mwangi and senior Ugandan government officials. At the same time, a magistrate's court in Kampala freed the writer of the controversial story, Mr Frank Nyakairu, on a USh500,000 cash bail with sureties of USh2 million.
Mr Nyakairu, who was brought from the northern town of Gulu yesterday, was charged with publishing false news with Managing Editor Charles Onyango-Obbo and News Editor Wanyama Wangah who appeared before the same court on Wednesday and were released on bail.
The closure attracted widespread local and international criticism.
Mr Bichachi said yesterday that prior to the helicopter story, some government officials had lobbied for a ban of The Monitor because of its independent editorial policy.
"This helicopter story was just an excuse. Some elements in government had for a long time wanted to close The Monitor ... In a Cabinet meeting about four weeks ago, they proposed the closure of The Monitor, but others opposed this," he said.
Regional intelligence sources have told The Associated Press in Kenya that it appeared that a Ugandan helicopter had been shot down.
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