First son Major General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been appointed the Special Presidential Advisor in charge of Operations, in a military command reshuffle that has seen the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Edward Katumba Wamala join cabinet as the Minister of State for Works.
In the reshuffle made by the Commander-in-Chief last night, former Land Forces commander (CLF) Major General David Muhoozi is promoted to full General and becomes the CDF, while the former Chief of Staff Maj Gen Wilson Mbadi becomes Lieutenant General and Deputy CDF, taking over from Lt. Gen. Charles Angina, who now becomes Deputy Commander of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), in what many say is a demotion.
Former Division II Commander Brig Peter Elwelu, the man who commanded the recent attack on Rwenzururu king Charles Wesley Mumbere’s palace has been promoted to Major General, and becomes the CLF, taking over from Maj. Gen. David Muhoozi.
Former military spy chief Brig.Charles Bakahumura becomes the Chief of Logistics and is replaced by Col. Abel Kandiho, who has been promoted from Lieutenant Colonel, while Brig. Gervas Mugyenyi has been promoted to Major General and becomes the Chief of Air Defence.
Lt. Col. Don Nabaasa, who has been Deputy Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), is promoted to Colonel and becomes acting commander in charge of the elite force replacing the First Son, while Brig. Sam Okiding, who is just fresh from commanding the Ugandan peacekeeping troops in Somalia under AMISOM, has been promoted to Major General and becomes the Commander of Field Artillery.
Others appointed include Brig. Sam Turyagenda, who was made Major General and Presidential Advisor on Airfoce Matters; Brig. charles Lwanga Lutaaya promoted to Major General and appointed Commander Airforce; Brig. Otema Awany, formerly Chief of Lgistics and Engineering (CLE) promoted to Major General and appointed General Officer Commanding the Reserve, while Major General Nakibus Lakara, the former Deputy Commander Wealth Creation (OWC), goes back to Heaquarters for redeployment.
The reshuffle comes a few months after the former Chief of Staff Land Forces (COC/CLF) Brig. Leopold Kyanda, who was reportedly embroiled in a fake arms deal saga involving billions of shillings was relieved of his duties and sent for a one-year course at the National Defence College in India.
Meanwhile, Gen Katumba Wamala becomes the second serving UPDF officer to be named to cabinet, following his predeccessor Gen Robert Aronda Nyakairima (RIP), whose appointment as Minister for Internal Affairs in 2013 raised a constitutional brouhaha, with arguments that serving UPDF officers are by law barred from being ‘partisan’.
APPOINT MENTS, TRANSFERS AND PROMOTIONS IN THE UPDF
