KAMPALA – In a significant development within Uganda’s security apparatus, Major General James Birungi and at least twelve other suspects, comprising both current and former senior Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officers, have been interrogated for their alleged role in concealing vital intelligence related to a series of high-profile assassinations.
According to reports, the investigation has now been expanded to include the June 2021 attempted assassination of Works and Transport Minister, General Edward Katumba Wamala, in which his daughter and driver were killed, and the March 2017 murder of former Police Spokesperson, Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi.
The detained senior officers are identified as Maj. Gen. James Birungi, who previously served as the head of the Defence Forces Spokesperson unit; Col. Peter Ahimbisibwe; and Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga, the Director of Special Operations at the Domestic Intelligence Service (DIS).
Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the interrogations focus on allegations that the officers withheld or failed to act upon critical intelligence that could have prevented the attacks. This suggests a major internal probe into possible security lapses or complicity within the upper echelons of the military.
The detention conditions for Maj. Gen. Birungi are described as particularly stringent. Reliable sources reveal he is currently held in isolation at Makindye Military Barracks, confined alone in a very small room where he sleeps on a small mattress. He has reportedly been barred from communicating with other suspects in the case.
The widening of this investigation to include the assassinations of Kaweesi and the attack on Gen. Katumba Wamala signals a renewed and serious effort by the authorities to address long-standing questions surrounding these brazen acts of violence that have shaken the nation. The ongoing probe points to a deep-reaching audit of intelligence failures and potential accountability for senior security officials.
