
29/08/2025
Maj Gen James Birungi Detained at Makindye, Awaits Court-Martial
From house arrest to detention at Makindye Barracks, the trajectory of a man who sought my head on behalf of Criminal Paul Kagame. The manner in which this double agent pursued me, merely to gratify his true master in Kigali, was unprecedented. Hunting down a fellow citizen who had committed no crime, he sought my elimination solely to please a criminal ruler of a foreign nation. A general devoid of patriotism is not only a failure in his duty but also a danger to the entire nation, for his betrayal threatens the safety and trust of every citizen.
Major General James Birungi was appointed as Uganda’s Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (formerly the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, CMI) in early 2022. He held this position until April 2025, when a reshuffle saw him exchanged with Major General Richard Otto. Birungi was reassigned to Fort Portal, where he assumed command of the UPDF Mountain Infantry Division, while Otto succeeded him as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Birungi’s tenure at the Mountain Division proved remarkably short. After only two months in command, he was relieved of the post on 26 June 2025. On that same day, he was redeployed as Uganda’s Military Attaché and Defence Advisor in Burundi, with Brigadier Paul Muwonge, his deputy, appointed as his successor in Fort Portal.
However, Birungi never took up his new diplomatic assignment. Instead, he was placed under house arrest as he faced investigations into numerous alleged irregularities, including the doctoring and manipulation of intelligence reports, fabrication of dossiers and operations, embezzlement, compromised missions, and broader internal misconduct. Currently, Uganda’s former Chief of Military Intelligence, Major General James Birungi, is being held at Makindye Military Police Prison. He is expected to stand trial before a military court-martial on multiple charges.
By: RPF Gakwerere, a military corporal for more than three decades