PROFILE: Who is Maj Gen James Birungi, the Senior Military Officer Dropped by Muhoozi as UPDF Intelligence Boss?

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has dropped Maj Gen James Birungi as the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS). Maj Gen Birungi leaves the helm of UPDF security after three years and about three months since his appointment to head the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). Here are some key things to know about Maj Gen Birungi.

In 2022, President Yoweri Museveni appointed Maj Gen Birungi to replace Maj Gen Abel Kandiho at CMI after the US government slapped sanctions against him (Kandiho) over human rights abuses related to the kidnapping and torturing of opposition supporters.

In the wake of the sanctions, Maj Gen Kandiho said he would not lose his sleep over the US sanctions. (See Details Here and There).

In that reshuffle, Museveni sent Maj Gen Kandiho to head the South Sudan Security Monitoring Mechanism, a role that was until then being played by Birungi.

Then, UPDF Establishment Document had not been launched, and the appointments were made by Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief (CiC) of armed forces.

It is now Gen Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), that has dropped Maj Gen Birungi.

Maj Gen Birungi had been the Special Forces Command (SFC) commander from 2019 to 2020. For that role, he also replaced Maj Gen Don Nabasa.

Before then, Birungi was Chief of Uganda People’s Defence Air Force (UPDAF) from 2016 to 2019 after replacing Col Emmanuel Kwihangana.

Birungi’s current rank of Major General (Maj Gen) was attained in February 2019.

Some of the military courses he has attended include: basic military training (Kasenyi-Entebbe), cadet course in India, Anti-Tank course in Masaka, motorised infantry commanders course, tank crew course, company commanders’ course and platoon commanders course, all in Karama, junior commanders’ course (Jinja) and senior command and staff course (Uganda Senior Command and Staff College – USCSC-Kimaka).

Today, Gen Muhoozi dropped Maj Gen Birungi as head of UPDF intelligence. (See Details Here).

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