All the senior officers who were promoted in the recent Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) reshuffle are being decorated today at a function at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Mbuya.
Early last week President Yoweri Museveni who is also the Commander-in-Chief made a number of changes in the army leadership, dropping the Chief of Defence Forces General Edward Katumba Wamala and replacing him with General David Muhoozi, the former Commander of Land Forces (CLF), who was also promoted from the rank of Major General.
In the same reshuffle Gen.Museveni also appointed the former Joint Chief of Staff (JCOS) Major General Wilson Mbadi Mbasu the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (D/CDF) and also promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant General. Gen. Mbadi replaced Lt.Gen. Charles Angina, who was moved to Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), as Deputy Commander.
In the same reshuffle Gen. Museveni also named his son Major General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Special Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, effectively removing him from the leadership of the elite Special Forces Command (SFC), and replacing him with Colonel Don Nabaasa. Other officers promoted in the first batch included among others Brig. Peter Elwelu, who was named CLF and promoted to Major General.
Then mid-week the C-I-C made other appointments and promotions among them that of Brig. Proscovia Nalweyiso, the highest-ranking UPDF female officer, who was promoted to Major General and retained her job as Gen. Museveni’s advisor attached to State House; Brig. George Igumba was named the new Chief of Administration and Finance (CAF), while Brig. Sam Kavuma was named Deputy Commander Airforce. Others are Col. Henry Matsiko, who was promoted to Brigadier and appointed the UPDF Chief Political Commissar (CPC), replacing Col. Felix Kulaigye; Brig Chris Bbosa, who became deputy Commandant of the Senior Staff College at Kimaka, Jinja, and Col. Michael Kabango, who was promoted to Brigadier and transferred to Div 5.
Brigadiers Kavuma and Kabango previously served as contingent Commanders in the Central African Republic, where they were engaged in pursuing the Lords Resistance Army rebels led by Joseph Kony.
Major General Nakibus Lakara was deployed as the Commandant of Uganda Rapid Deployment Centre (URDC) in Jinja.
Long-serving Defence and Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Ankunda was also replaced by Brigadier Richard Karemire, the former Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence.
