Ugandan authorities have arrested Major General James Birungi, the former head of military intelligence and commander of the Special Forces, along with two of his aides, on charges related to fabricating terrorist threats attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group linked to the so-called Islamic State.
The arrest also involves Colonel Peter Ahembisibwe, a former director of counterterrorism, and Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga, the former head of special operations.
Birungi—who was once responsible for protecting President Yoweri Museveni, his family, and key government sites—is currently being held in a military prison amid accusations that certain bomb threats and attacks, including explosions in the capital Kampala, were manipulated to justify harsh security operations.
According to local reports, another reason was Birungi’s claim that an airstrike by Ugandan forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo had killed senior ADF commander Medi Nkalubo. President Museveni publicly praised the strike at the time, but the intelligence was later proven false when Nkalubo resurfaced in reports linking him to renewed activity.
In response, Army Commander General Muhoozi Kainerugaba—who portrays himself as a corruption fighter—ordered an investigation into the fabricated bomb threats, leading to the arrests.
For decades, Uganda has portrayed the ADF as a constant terrorist threat, blaming the group for a string of assassinations and bombings that claimed the lives of civilians and officials. Critics, however, argue that the regime has exaggerated the danger posed by the group to bolster its legitimacy domestically and abroad, especially with Washington under the banner of the “war on terror.”
Yahya Sseremba, a researcher at the Makerere Institute of Social Research, believes the latest arrests do not expose genuine “terrorist plots,” but rather reflect power struggles within the army and ruling establishment—driven by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the president’s son and army commander, who is seeking to consolidate his influence through purges in the security apparatus.