KAMPALA, Uganda — A high-level military inquiry into “fabricated intelligence” has led to the arrest of one of Uganda’s most senior intelligence officials, Maj. Gen. James Birungi, in a move that signals a significant internal crackdown within the security services.
Birungi, the country’s defense attaché to Burundi and former head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, was detained Friday after he was questioned by a special board of inquiry. The board was established in June by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba to investigate allegations that some operatives manufactured false intelligence and security incidents to secure operational funds.
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The board, chaired by Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Samuel Okiding, includes the Inspector General of Police, the director generals of the Internal and External Security Organisations, and other top security officials. Their main task is to investigate claims that operatives fabricated insecurity and bomb incidents in and around Kampala, leading to operational failures.
Military sources said Birungi’s arrest on subversion charges follows the detention of two of his former junior officers, Col. Peter Ahimbisibwe and Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga, who were also linked to the internal investigation. The junior officers are suspected of presiding over units that may have been infiltrated by the Allied Democratic Forces, a terror group responsible for multiple attacks in the region.
Birungi’s arrest is the first of a former head of an intelligence outfit in connection with the inquiry.
The investigation was prompted by public skepticism following two incidents in June. The army claimed it had intercepted and killed a female suicide bomber in Kalerwe Market on June 22 and foiled another suicide attack in Munyonyo on June 3. Both events were widely questioned by the public.
In a statement confirming the arrest, Maj. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, the Director of Defence Public Information, said the detention was “in line with the ongoing investigations within his former department.”
The inquiry takes place against the backdrop of real terror threats. In October 2021, a double suicide bombing in Kampala killed three civilians. This attack led to the joint UPDF and Congolese Army “Operation Shujaa” against ADF terrorists, which has since resulted in the death or arrest of several ADF commanders.
