93.3 KFM
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93.3 KFM is an English language commercial radio station broadcasting from Kampala, Uganda.[1] It is owned by the Nation Media Group (NMG) and operates under its local subsidiary Monitor Publications Limited.[1]
History
The station went on air in 2001 under the name Monitor FM testing a specialized News/Talk format patterned after traditional public broadcasting.[2] Due to commercial pressures within the highly competitive Kampala radio market, the original format was abandoned after two years of cooperation.[2]
In September 2004, Monitor Publications Limited launched a comprehensive structural rebranding and programming overhaul officially changing the station's identity to 93.3 KFM.[3][2] Within three months of the relaunch, a consumer market survey conducted by research firm Consumer Insight ranked KFM as the most listened to radio station in the Kampala metropolitan area capturing a 41 percent audience share.[4]
Programming and impact
KFM operates a 24 hour broadcast schedule comprising musical entertainment, public interest segments, and current affairs programming.[1]
In 2012, KFM hosted the KFM concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval to mark Uganda's silver jubilee featuring headline performances by international Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists Demarco and Wayne Wonder alongside over 50 local ugandan musicians.[5][6]
Notable people
- Andrew Mwenda: The political journalist who served as the general manager of KFM and hosted the talk show Andrew Mwenda Live.[7][2]
- Joseph Beyanga: Served a historic 20-year tenure from the station's inception as Monitor FM in 2001 through its transition to KFM, rising from a production assistant to the Head of Radio for Nation Media Group Uganda.[8][9]
- Patrick Kamara: Broadcast journalist and host of the flagship daily political program The Grind.[10]
Awards and recognition
The station and its journalism team have received several independent industry honors:
Regulatory actions and state closures
As part of the independent Nation Media Group editorial ecosystem in Uganda which includes the Daily Monitor newspaper and NTV Uganda, KFM has historically encountered political friction and severe state regulatory interventions.[13]
On August 11, 2005, the Broadcasting Council indefinitely closed KFM and suspended its broadcasting license.[14][15] The shutdown followed a broadcast on the program Andrew Mwenda Live, hosted by journalist Andrew Mwenda, which debated the helicopter crash that killed Sudanese Vice President John Garang.[15][14]
In October 2025, press freedom organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that state authorities had barred Nation Media Group journalists, including representatives from KFM from covering parliamentary and presidential events.[13] This restriction was formalized for the 2026 legislative year when the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association omitted NMG journalists from the official parliamentary press accreditation list.[16]
On June 28, 2026, armed military personnels raided and surrounded the Daily Monitor headquarters in Namuwongo on the direct orders of the Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.[17][18] Following a month long shutdown, negotiations between government authorities and major NMG shareholders including Rostam Aziz, a resolution was reached.[19] On July 28, 2026, NMG formally announced the progressive resumption of its broadcast, print, and digital services across Uganda.[19][20]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "KFM". Nation Media Group. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "20 years of FM radio stations in Uganda". African Centre for Media Excellence. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Uganda: 93.3 Kfm Radio Hits Kampala Airwaves". The Monitor (via AllAfrica). 9 September 2004. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Uganda: 93.3 KFM Becomes No1 Station". The Monitor (via AllAfrica). 12 January 2005. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Demarco, Wayne here for concert". Daily Monitor. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "KFM Koncert thrills Kampala". Daily Monitor. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Andrew Mwenda". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Joseph Beyanga bows out of KFM after 20 years". Daily Monitor. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Joe Walker walks out of NMG". Sqoop. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Home". 93.3 KFM. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "NMG Journalists Shine At Population Awards". 93.3 KFM. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Monitor Publications Ltd scoops best brand award". 93.3 KFM. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Example placeholder – verify exact 2025 CPJ report". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Radio station closed after airing programme on Garang death". The New Humanitarian. 12 August 2005. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Ugandan radio station ordered closed after show on helicopter crash". Committee to Protect Journalists. 11 August 2005. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named1.2.3 - ↑ "Uganda's military chief orders shutdown of two major media outlets". Reuters. 28 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "Uganda's military chief orders shutdown of two media outlets". Al Jazeera. 28 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Nation Media Group says it has resumed Uganda operations". Reuters. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- ↑ "NMG Uganda to resume operations after Museveni nod". The EastAfrican. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
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