By Joseph Kiggundu
COURT MARTIAL. The General Court Martial has denied bail to Maj. Gen. James Birungi .
This came after Gen Birungi failed to produce sureties, extending his stay at Makindye Military Prison in a case that has exposed alleged misconduct within Uganda’s military intelligence establishment.
Birungi, who headed the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence—now the Chieftaincy of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS)—will remain on remand until July 31, when the military court chaired by Brig. Gen. Richard Tukacungurwa is expected to deliver its ruling.
He is charged with treachery and offences relating to security, becoming one of the most senior serving or former UPDF intelligence officers to face prosecution before the General Court Martial.
Birungi was arrested in August 2025 following a Board of Inquiry chaired by Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, which investigated intelligence and counter-terrorism operations within the military.
According to investigators, the inquiry uncovered alleged fabrication of intelligence reports, manipulation of threat assessments and misuse of operational funds.
The board reportedly recommended criminal proceedings against Birungi and several other senior officers.
Prosecutors allege some of the fabricated intelligence was used to obtain operational funding and informed security operations in which civilians were later presented as suspected suicide bombers.
Among the incidents under scrutiny are the fatal shooting of a woman near Kalerwe Market and another suspect near the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine in Munyonyo, both of whom security agencies publicly described as suicide bombers during separate operations in 2025.
The allegations remain untested in court.
Crime & Justice
In the same proceedings, the court granted bail to Brig. Gen. James Ruhesi on a Shs10 million cash bond and a Shs25 million non-cash bond.
Maj. Innocent Mugumya was also released on a Shs4 million cash bond and a Shs10 million non-cash bond.
However, Col. David Kidega and Capt. Kenneth Labwon Kinyera were remanded after failing to present sureties and will return to court on July 31, while Lt. Paddy Nahabwe was remanded until Aug. 31.
The proceedings have been conducted under tight security, with journalists barred from covering the hearings inside the courtroom.
The case is one of the biggest internal accountability proceedings undertaken by the UPDF in recent years and forms part of a wider shake-up of the military intelligence leadership following the appointment of Maj. Gen. Richard Otto to replace Birungi as head of military intelligence.
Birungi is also listed among the prosecution witnesses in the treason case against opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya and Capt. Denis Oola, even as he faces his own prosecution before the military court.
If convicted of treachery, Birungi faces severe penalties under military law, including the possibility of the death sentence.
Under Ugandan law, all accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.