Maj Gen James Birungi, the Uganda’s Defence Attaché to Burundi, has been arrested and placed in detention at Makindye Barracks.
According to information obtained by this investigative website, the former Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (CMI) was summoned to the UPDF headquarters at Mbuya, where he was informed of his arrest.
Reports suggest was transferred to the Makindye military detention facility on Friday evening.
Repeated attempts to reach UPDF spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye were unsuccessful, and other officials declined to comment, fueling speculation given the absence of any public statement from the army.
His arrest comes on heels of a heightened probe commissioned by the no nonsense army commander Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba that saw two senior officers formerly serving under Birungi arrested and have since been in Makindye for close to 3 months.
Col Peter Ahimbisibwe, Director of Counterterrorism at Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), and Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, Director of Special Operations at DIS.
They were arrested on June 23, 2025.
The arrests centered on serious allegations that these units had been infiltrated by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) operatives, resulting in false or misleading intelligence reaching senior command, which in turn led to operational failures.
Both officers were “blue-eyed boys” of Birungi having been seconded into DIS from his command heightening scrutiny around his tenure.
“There is a big possibility that the two junior officers revealed information that is helpful,” said a source.
As of now, no formal charges have been announced, but both men remain in detention and are reportedly being interrogated as part of a wider investigation into subversion and compromised intelligence operations.
This is a developing story….
