The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has intensified his ongoing reorganisation of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) by recalling at least 13 defence attachés and liaison officers from foreign postings and replacing them with a new crop of officers.
The sweeping changes, communicated through an official military signal, are the latest indication that Gen Muhoozi is moving aggressively to restructure the army, tighten discipline, and stamp out what insiders describe as entrenched corruption, criminality and abuse of office within sections of the force.
Highly placed military sources say the reshuffle is part of a broader campaign by the CDF to clean up the army, restore operational seriousness, and ensure that key strategic postings are occupied by officers aligned with his reform agenda.
New Defence Attachés Appointed
According to the signal, the following officers have been appointed to new foreign military postings:
Brig Gen Edward Ronald Mutaawe – Ethiopia
Brig Gen Julius Rubakuuba Mbaine – Tanzania
Brig Gen Paul Muwonge – DRC
Brig Gen Richard Rubongoya – Russia
Brig Gen Johnson Niwamanya – Burundi
Brig Gen Paddy Ankunda Barihaihi – Belgium
Col Godfrey Kyomuhendo – Algeria
Col Steve Swizen Mulindwa – Saudi Arabia
Col Alex Tumushabe – United Arab Emirates
Col Victor Busobozi Rukonge – Somalia
Col Ezekiel Katatembeya Matsiko – Rwanda
Col Deogratias Akiiki Asiimwe – United States of America
Maj Abert Asiimwe Nomwesigwa – Liaison Officer, Beni, DRC
Officers Recalled
The officers recalled from the respective postings include:
Brig Fred Zaake – Ethiopia
Brig Ronald Bigirwa – Tanzania
Brig C.K. Asiimwe – DRC
Brig Patrick Mwesige – Russia
Brig S.N. Ochan – Burundi
Maj Gen Leopold Kyanda – Belgium (Brussels)
Brig Muhindo Mawa – Algeria
Brig Winston Byaruhanga – Saudi Arabia
Col Yunus Bagada – UAE
Brig Francis Chemo – Somalia
Brig Shilling Emmanuel – Rwanda
Col Peter Sonko Buyungo – USA (Washington, DC)
Military insiders say the changes are not random, but rather part of a deliberate restructuring exercise intended to shake up both the command structure at home and Uganda’s military representation abroad.
One senior source told this website that Gen Muhoozi has been determined to “rebuild discipline and professionalism” across the army since taking over as CDF.
“The CDF wants a leaner, more effective and more disciplined force. He wants officers to know that deployment is for service, not comfort, deals or personal empire-building,” the source said.
The reshuffle comes amid growing indications that Gen Muhoozi’s leadership is focused not just on ordinary redeployments, but on a wider internal purge aimed at rooting out officers accused of turning sensitive offices into centres of personal enrichment and influence peddling.
In recent months, the CDF has overseen a number of dramatic changes within the force, particularly in sensitive security and intelligence dockets.
Among the most notable was the removal of Brig Abdul Rugumayo as Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), formerly CMI, as well as the earlier fall of former intelligence chief Maj Gen James Birungi, who was arrested alongside two other officers and remains in military detention.
Sources say these actions reflect a growing resolve by the army leadership to confront misconduct that had allegedly become deeply rooted in certain powerful offices.
Some insiders claim that under previous structures, certain military units had increasingly drifted from their core mandate and become vulnerable to rogue financial interests, parallel influence networks and questionable operational conduct.
While the UPDF has not publicly framed the latest defence attaché changes as disciplinary action, the timing and scale of the reshuffle are already being interpreted in military circles as part of Gen Muhoozi’s wider campaign to reorganise and sanitize the force.
The latest changes are also significant because defence attachés serve as Uganda’s key military representatives abroad, handling security cooperation, military diplomacy, intelligence coordination, and bilateral defence relations with host nations.
Their recall and replacement therefore signals a potentially important shift in both military priorities and strategic trust within the UPDF.
With multiple changes now affecting both domestic command structures and foreign military missions, insiders say Gen Muhoozi’s cleanup of the army is far from over.
