Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces has confirmed the impending retirement of 531 officers and militants, including some of its most prominent generals.
Among the notable retirees are the only serving four-star General, Katumba Wamala, a former Chief of Defence Forces and current Minister of Works and Transport. He joined forces in 1980.
The retirement ceremony will be held in July 2026.
According to the official retirement list, which Eagle Online has seen, the cohort includes five (5) Majors, sixteen (16) brigadiers, twenty-eight (28) Colonels, forty-two (42) Lieutenant Generals, 183 Majors, and 254 Captains are set to retire.
According to the UPDF retirement age ceiling, a serving General or Lieutenant General is supposed to retire at the age of 65 years, while those at the rank of Major General are at the age of 62.
From the rank of Brigadier General are supposed to retire at 60 years, Colonels are set at 55 years, whereas Lieutenant Colonels are at 51, and those at the rank of Major are retired at 47 years.
UPDF and the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Felix Kulaigye told Eagle Online, “Retirement is part of the norm within UPDF. So, we wish our comrades the best as they retire,” he said.
Retiring Army Generals
Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala
Lt. Gen. Charles Awany Otema
Lt. Gen. Charles Angina
Maj. Gen. Godfrey Katsigazi Tumusiime
Maj. Gen. Henry Ndarubweine Masiko
Maj. Gen. Apolo Kasiita Gowa
Maj. Gen. Leopold Kyanda
Maj. Gen. Abel Kandiho
Brig. Gen. Edson Muhanguzi
Brig. Gen. Bekunda Besigye Cyrus
Brig. Gen. Winston Byaruhanga
Brig. Gen. Stephen Tumwesigye Kashure
Brig. Gen. Tom Kikoyo Kabuye
Brig. Gen. Sam Omara
Brig. Gen. Fred Rugadya Akiiki
Brig. Gen. Mike Samuel Kisame
Brig. Gen. Patrick Mwesigye
Brig. Gen. Fred Mwesigye
Brig. Gen. Herbert Rwego Mbonye
Brig. Gen. Simon Nicholas Ocan
Brig. Gen. Metland K Bitumbika
Brig. Gen. Cyil Mawa Muhindo
Brig. Gen. Charles Bakahumura
Brig. Gen. Charles Asiimwe Kahangire
The retirement process follows standard UPDF protocol, which includes phased retirement for officers who have served their time or reached the age limit.
Who is Gen. Katumba Wamala?
He joined forces in 1980
He has held the current post of Minister of Works and Transport since January 17, 2017, until December 14, 2019, when he served as Minister of State for Works.
He served as the Chief of Defence Forces of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) from 2013 until 2017. Before, he was the Commander of Land Forces from 2005 to 2013. He also served as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Uganda Police Force from 2001 until 2005.
Katumba Wamala was born on November 19, 1956, in Bweeza, Kalangala District.
He holds a certificate in agriculture. A Bachelor of Arts degree from Nkumba University in International Relations and Diplomacy
He also holds a Master of Science degree in strategic leadership from the United States Army War College.
He has military qualifications from the following military schools: Uganda Military Academy, Tanzania Military Academy, a military academy in the Soviet Union, Nigerian Command and Staff College, United States Army Command and General Staff College, and United States Army War College. In October 2023, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Nkumba University in recognition of his contributions to his community, country, and humanity.
Wamala was an officer in the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) when the National Resistance Army (NRA) defeated the UNLA in 1986. He transitioned into the NRA.
Maj. Gen. Leopold Kyanda
Major General Leopold Eric Kyanda was born on January 1, 1970, and is a Major General in the Uganda People’s Defence Force.
From June 2021, he has served as the Joint Chief of Staff of the UPDF. Before, Gen. Kyanda was the Chief of Staff of the Land Forces.
He joined the army in the early 1990s
He later joined the then Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB), which later became the Special Forces Command (SFC). He rose in its ranks and eventually became the Commander of the Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB). At the rank of Colonel, Kyanda would later become the Commandant of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). From there, he was assigned to the Ugandan Embassy in Washington, D.C., as the Military Attaché, serving in that capacity for two years. On his return to Uganda, he was appointed Chief of Personnel and Administration in the UPDF. From there, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier and assigned as Chief of Staff.
In December 2017, he completed a military course from the National Defence College in India.
In February 2019, he was promoted from the rank of Brigadier to that of Major General, as part of a promotions exercise involving over 2,000 men and women of the UPDF.
Lt. Gen. Charles Angina
Charles Angina was born on March 29, 1962, and holds the rank of lieutenant general in the UPDF. He is Uganda’s Deputy Ambassador to Cairo. From January 2017 until July 2021, he served as the Deputy Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), a development program operated by the Ugandan government. He previously served as the Deputy Chief of Defense Forces of Uganda, the second-highest military position within the UPDF. He was appointed to that position in May 2013, replacing General Ivan Koreta, who was appointed an ambassador.
He went on to serve as an intelligence officer, platoon commander, operational intelligence officer, Combined Mobile Forces, and as 4th Division intelligence officer. From there, he served as operations coordinator 2nd Division, then as the 305th Brigade commander, and as commander of the 2nd Division.
During the Ituri conflict, Angina served as the sector commander of the Ituri region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He then became sector commander Basankusu during Operation Safe Haven in the DRC.
Thereafter, he served as a military adviser in Tanzania. He then transferred to the Embassy of Uganda in Washington, D. C. as the military attaché. He was then appointed chairman of the General Court Martial of the UPDF. He also has served as the Chief of Staff of Land Forces in the UPDF.
Lt. Gen. Angina joined the UPDF in 1983 following a one-year officer cadet course; he was commissioned in 1985. Angina is said to have joined the UPDF from the Uganda People’s Army.
He attended several military courses and these include;
National Defense Course, China in 1998, Command and General Staff Course (CGSC), in the United States in 2000, Course on Military and Media in a Democracy, at the University of Kansas in 2000, Joint Tactical Command Course in China, and a Combined Platoon Commander Course in North Korea.
