From October 2026 and onwards, Capital FM Radio Kamwokya Kiseminti based studios will have been moved to Naguru the home for Next Media Company that run NBS TV, Blazer News Times can exclusively report.
This after a successful acquisition of the company (Capital Radio 2015 Ltd) that is composed of 91.3 Capital FM Radio, 96.3 Beat FM Radio and KIIS 100.9 FM, by the Next Media.
Some of the Capital Radio 2015 Ltd sacked staff who spoke to Blazer News Times on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the company was bought out by the Naguru based Media Company under the deal that was concluded in July 2026.
“It is true Capital Radio was bought and everything therein was bought, and from October it will be under full control of Next Media. They are left with August and September to relocate from Kiseminti to Naguru”, the Radio Company staff said in affirmative.
The buyout deal of the 2nd oldest private FM Radio Station in Uganda according to its former staff, had time long been cut, despite the recent June 23, 2026 Next Media’s public announcement that the two media Companies had just forged a strategic collaboration tailored to shared content and cross platform engagement.
Capital Radio was under the ownership of veteran journalist and former New Vision MD William Pike who was the majority shareholder, with his 2 other business partners; Patrick Quarcoo and Hannington Karuhanga.
How All Started.
It has emerged from insiders that it all started by the staff receiving briefing from their immediate supervisors in 2024, that the Radio proprietor Pike had conceived a thought to sell out all his Ugandan based property, and leave Uganda for his country of origin (UK), considering his old age.
The next thing to happen according to them, was to enforce an approved decision that saw several staff laid off work in a phased manner, starting from September 2024 to March 2025, that saw massive staff exit, thus culminating in joblessness of several journalists and media practitioners jobless.
“By the time we were sacked the intention was to reduce on the financial pressures arising from the staff salary needs such that by the time the sale out happens, pressures will have scaled down”, One of the sacked journalists explained.
Insiders say that, only 3 journalists were retained in the whole Capital Radio news department including the departmental head Gloria Nakiyimba, Beat FM Luganda news reader Paul Kulumba and English news reader Osman Patricia.
Capital Radio being the second oldest privately-owned media outlet, hit the air waves in December 31,1993, following Sanyu FM Radio which hit the air waves in December 18, 1993, making it the oldest privately-owned Radio Station in Uganda.
Capital Radio has repeater stations on various frequencies across the country; 91.3 Kampala Mbale, 90.9, Mbarara 88.7, Fort portal 89.4, Gulu 96.9 and Arua 92.7.
Its sellout deal now closes the chapter of interest ownership shareholding from Pike, Quarcoo and Karuhanga to NBS owners.
However, some observers claim that the deal as an invisible hand of the Ugandan state that intend to neutralize hostile media landscape.
