TOP STORY: Storm at Defence Intelligence as CMI Chiefs Arrested Over Alleged Fake Terror Plot
NATIONAL — A major scandal is unraveling within Uganda’s Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), formerly the Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI), as a high-stakes probe launched by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba deepens into what insiders describe as a web of fabricated terror threats.
At least 13 individuals — including high-ranking military officers and civilians — are now in custody over the alleged orchestration of fake terror attacks. Among those arrested is former CMI chief, Maj Gen James Birungi, who was dramatically apprehended on Friday and is currently being held at Makindye Military Police Barracks.
His arrest marks a turning point in weeks-long covert investigations into what sources claim were “concocted terror incidents” that gripped the nation in recent years.
High-Ranking Arrests and Explosive Allegations
The probe began with the arrest of Col Peter Ahimbisibwe, then Director of Counterterrorism at CMI, and Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, who headed Special Operations. By the time Birungi was picked up, ten more suspects — eight soldiers and two civilians — had already been detained.
Three of the soldiers are reportedly linked to the June 3rd Martyrs Day ‘bomb scare’ near Munyonyo Catholic Shrine, where a woman suspected to be a suicide bomber was shot dead. A similar incident occurred weeks later in Kaleerwe market, where another woman, also allegedly a bomber, was killed and her “device” detonated by operatives.
Sources say it was the Kaleerwe incident that triggered deeper scrutiny, leading to the arrest of at least five junior soldiers. During interrogations, Maj Gen Birungi’s name kept surfacing, with both Ahimbisibwe and Byaruhanga allegedly implicating him in orchestrating and directing suspicious operations.
Investigators claim Birungi instructed officers to falsely link the bomb threats to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — a rebel group long blamed for terrorist attacks in the region.
Whistleblowers and Strategic Reassignments
The investigation gained traction after Birungi was reassigned earlier this year to lead the Mountain Division in Fort Portal, ostensibly to oversee Operation Shujaa against ADF rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, insiders now say the move was tactical — orchestrated by CDF Muhoozi to clear the path for investigations.
It was intelligence officers under Maj Gen Richard Otto, then leading the Mountain Division, who reportedly blew the whistle. While reviewing border surveillance, Otto’s team found no evidence of ADF infiltration, casting doubt on Kampala-based CMI’s claims that justified past deadly operations.
Alarmed by the discrepancies, Gen Muhoozi reportedly demanded answers from CMI, eventually launching a full-scale investigation.
Quiet Reassignment, Sudden Arrest
In a move now described by sources as “purely for optics,” Maj Gen Birungi was quietly appointed as Uganda’s Defence Attaché to Burundi — a posting meant to remove him from operational command as investigations continued behind the scenes.
But on Thursday evening, Birungi was summoned to CMI headquarters in Mbuya. By Friday midday, he had been disarmed, interrogated for over seven hours, and transferred under tight guard to Makindye barracks.
UPDF Spokesperson Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye confirmed Birungi’s arrest but declined to provide further details. “Yes, he is in custody,” Kulayigye said, without confirming whether Birungi would face the General Court Martial like his former deputies.
Probe Widens to Past Incidents
The CDF-led probe is now expanding its focus to alleged terror threats dating back at least three years, including incidents involving suspicious explosive devices found near Pastor Robert Kayanja’s church, in Nateete, and other parts of Kampala.
Investigators are reportedly examining the existence of at least three “terror cells” allegedly linked to CMI operatives, raising disturbing questions: Were some of Uganda’s most high-profile terror scares staged?
As the probe continues, sources within military intelligence hint at the possibility of more arrests in what is shaping up to be one of the most explosive internal investigations in Uganda’s security history.
