KAMPALA.
Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has appointed a new team of military attachés and liaison officers to foreign missions .
This is widely viewed by observers as a renewed push to strengthen defence diplomacy and strategic security partnerships.
The appointments, announced on Thursday, affect key postings across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and major global powers, with senior officers deployed to capitals seen as critical to Uganda’s military cooperation, intelligence sharing and regional security operations. Among the new assignments, Brig. Gen. Edward Ronald Mutaawe has been posted to Ethiopia, Brig. Gen. Julius Rubakuuba Mbaine to Tanzania, and Brig. Gen. Paul Muwonge to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a theatre central to joint operations against armed groups.
Rubakuuba is a brother of former army chief Gen David Muhoozi.
He previously served as head of intelligence docket at the Second Division in Mbarara and later as assistant Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security in Mbuya.
Brig Muwonge is a seasoned military intelligence officer and has commanded operations in DRC, South Sudan and Central African Republic over a long period of time.
Brig. Gen. Richard Rubongoya will serve in Russia, while Brig. Gen. Johnson Niwamanya heads to Burundi.
In Europe, Brig. Gen. Paddy Ankunda Barihaihi, the former army spokesperson, has been appointed defence attaché to Belgium, a strategic diplomatic hub hosting key Western security institutions.
At the rank of colonel, Deo Akiiki Asiimwe, who previously served as deputy army spokesperson and aide to Gen Muhoozi, has been appointed Uganda’s military attaché to the United States, replacing Col. Peter Sonko Buyungo.
Other appointments include Col. Steve Swizen Mulindwa to Saudi Arabia, Col. Alex Tumushabe to the United Arab Emirates, and Col. Godfrey Kyomuhendo to Algeria.
Col. Victor Busobozi Rukonge has been deployed to Somalia, Col. Ezekiel Katatembeya Matsiko to Rwanda, while Maj. Abert Asiimwe Nomwesigwa has been appointed liaison officer in Beni, eastern DRC — a key coordination point in ongoing regional security operations.
Military attachés represent Uganda’s defence and security interests abroad, facilitating cooperation on training, intelligence, logistics and joint operations, particularly in conflict-prone and geopolitically strategic regions.
As part of the reshuffle ordered by Gen. Kainerugaba, several senior officers have been recalled from their postings, marking the end of their foreign assignments.
Those recalled include Brig. Fred Zaake (Ethiopia), Brig. Ronald Bigirwa (Tanzania), Brig. C.K. Asiimwe (DRC), Brig. Patrick Mwesige (Russia), and Brig. S.N. Ochan (Burundi).
Others are Maj. Gen. Leopold Kyanda (Belgium), Brig. Muhindo Mawa (Algeria), Brig. Winston Byaruhanga (Saudi Arabia), Col. Yunus Bagada (UAE), Brig. Francis Chemo (Somalia), Brig. Shilling Emmanuel (Rwanda), and Col. Peter Sonko Buyungo (United States).
Defence diplomacy focus
The appointments underscore Gen. Kainerugaba’s growing role in shaping Uganda’s military diplomacy, with a deliberate balance between regional security priorities and global engagement.
Deployments to eastern DRC and Somalia reflect continued focus on counterinsurgency and stabilisation missions, while postings to Washington, Moscow, Brussels and Gulf capitals point to efforts to maintain diversified defence partnerships amid shifting global alliances.
The UPDF did not specify the tenure of the new postings, but such assignments typically run for several years as part of routine military rotations.