Maj Gen James Mugabe Birungi, once one of the most powerful figures in Uganda’s military intelligence establishment, is set to walk out of detention after Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced that he had forgiven him despite describing his alleged crimes as grave.
Birungi’s fall from the upper ranks of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has been dramatic. The two-star general went from heading the country’s military intelligence machinery and commanding elite formations to spending more than a year in detention at the Makindye Military Police Barracks, fighting serious charges before the General Court Martial.
Gen Muhoozi, who is also chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), announced the pardon in a statement that combined condemnation of Birungi’s alleged conduct with a religious appeal for forgiveness.
“MG. Birungi committed great crimes against our army and people. He should rightly have faced a very severe sentence. However, I believe in Jesus Christ who always teaches forgiveness. Christ forgave me, who am I not to forgive myself. I have forgiven him. We will release him soon.”
The statement effectively closes one of the most controversial chapters in the recent history of Uganda’s military intelligence establishment, although questions remain about the precise legal mechanism through which Birungi will be released.
Birungi was arrested in August 2025 following a high-level inquiry into allegations of intelligence manipulation, fabricated security threats and misuse of military resources. The investigation was chaired by Lt Gen Sam Okiding, then Deputy Chief of Defence Forces.
He was subsequently charged before the General Court Martial with treachery and offences relating to security. The prosecution alleged that fabricated intelligence reports concerning terrorist threats were used to obtain operational funds.
The allegations became even more serious because some of the disputed intelligence was linked to operations in which civilians were presented as suspected suicide bombers.
The UPDF has said the alleged false intelligence was connected to incidents at Kalerwe Market and near the Catholic Shrine in Munyonyo during the 2025 Martyrs Day celebrations. UPDF
Birungi has denied the allegations and, throughout the proceedings, remained entitled to the presumption of innocence because the charges had not resulted in a final conviction.
From powerful spy chief to military prisoner
Birungi’s troubles came after a long and distinguished military career. He served in several sensitive positions, including commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), Chief of Military Intelligence, commander of the Mountain Infantry Division and commander of operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
His career also included service as Chief of Staff of the Air Force, commander of the Armoured Brigade, commander of a tank battalion during operations in Karamoja, and senior assignments within presidential security.
His tenure at the helm of military intelligence began in 2022. He was later known as Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security after the restructuring of the intelligence command.
In April 2025, however, Gen Muhoozi moved him from the intelligence position to command the Mountain Infantry Division based in Fort Portal. Maj Gen Richard Otto replaced him as intelligence chief.
The Mountain Division appointment was itself strategically significant because the commander also had responsibility for UPDF operations against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo under Operation Shujaa. But Birungi’s stay at Mountain Division was short-lived.
Only about two months after assuming command, Gen Muhoozi transferred him to Bujumbura as Uganda’s Military Attaché and Defence Adviser. Brig Paul Muwonge replaced him as Mountain Division commander.
The deployment to Burundi was overtaken by the intelligence investigation. Birungi was summoned to the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs headquarters in Mbuya in August 2025, where he appeared before the inquiry. He was subsequently disarmed and taken to Military Police custody at Makindye.
The bomb controversy
At the centre of the investigation were allegations that elements within military intelligence had manufactured or manipulated information about terrorist threats.
The case became particularly explosive following revelations concerning purported staged bomb incidents in Kampala and Wakiso.
According to prosecution evidence reported during the court proceedings, two women died in incidents involving alleged fake suicide bomb operations at Munyonyo and Kalerwe in June 2025.
Two former government informers, Hamza Lyavaala and Adiil Walusansa, later pleaded guilty to murder charges arising from the incidents. The prosecution sought the maximum penalty against them.
Their cases intensified public interest in Birungi’s prosecution because the military intelligence chain of command was being examined over how the alleged operations were organised and reported.
Birungi, however, was not convicted of participating in the murders. His own case before the military court centred on treachery and security-related offences, which he denied. The proceedings also produced an extraordinary twist.
In October, Lyavaala told the General Court Martial that a senior intelligence officer had pressured him to implicate Birungi in the alleged bomb operations. He claimed he had been given words and phrases to use against the former intelligence chief.
The allegation added another layer of controversy to a case already involving claims of manipulated intelligence and disputed security operations.
Repeated court battles
Birungi’s legal battle was also marked by repeated remands and unsuccessful attempts to secure bail.
In July 2026, the General Court Martial denied him bail after he failed to provide the required sureties. His co-accused, including Brig Gen James Ruhesi and Maj Innocent Mugumya, were granted bail on specified cash and non-cash terms.
In September, Birungi was again remanded after a surety failed to appear in court. The court chaired by Brig Gen Richard Tukacungurwa extended his detention at Makindye Military Police Barracks.
On October 5, his bail proceedings stalled again after the prosecution said its intended deponent was out of the country. The court consequently further remanded him. By then, Birungi had spent more than a year in military detention.
His case became one of the most prominent examples of the UPDF’s attempt to hold a serving or former senior commander accountable through its own military justice system.
Muhoozi chooses forgiveness
Gen Muhoozi’s decision to forgive Birungi has now dramatically changed the trajectory of the case.
The CDF’s statement suggests that he regards the alleged offences as extremely serious, saying Birungi deserved “a very severe sentence”. Yet he says his Christian faith has led him to choose forgiveness.
The decision immediately triggered contrasting reactions online. Some of Muhoozi’s supporters praised what they described as a Christian and magnanimous gesture, arguing that forgiveness demonstrated strength rather than weakness.
Others questioned whether forgiving a senior officer accused of serious offences adequately addresses the interests of victims and their families.
One commentator asked whether people who lost their lives as a result of the alleged operations would be compensated, while others urged Muhoozi to extend similar forgiveness to political prisoners and opposition figures.
Another reaction warned against allowing people accused of serious crimes to escape accountability simply because of political or military influence.
The debate highlights the difficult balance between military discipline, justice, accountability and executive or command authority. For Birungi, however, the announcement marks a remarkable reversal.
A general who once occupied some of the most sensitive positions in Uganda’s security architecture has spent more than a year fighting to regain his freedom. His career was derailed by allegations that shook the military intelligence establishment and exposed deep questions about the generation and use of security intelligence.
Now, after describing the alleged crimes as grave enough to warrant a severe sentence, the country’s military chief says he has chosen forgiveness. “I have forgiven him. We will release him soon,” Muhoozi said.
The statement could bring an end to Birungi’s long detention, but it is also likely to keep alive the wider debate over accountability for the intelligence failures and alleged staged security operations that brought one of the UPDF’s most decorated senior officers from the centre of military power to the dock of the General Court Martial.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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