Birungi dropped as Mountain Infantry Division commander after two months.

Gen James Birungi from his position as commander of the Mountain Infantry Division, just two months after his appointment. Birungi was transferred from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) by CDF, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on April 16, 2025. He had swapped roles with Maj Gen Richard Otto in a reshuffle that saw Otto take over CMI. However, in a fresh change of command, Birungi has been replaced by Brig Gen Paul Muwonge. The announcement was made by Col Chris Magezi, the outgoing acting UPDF spokesperson, who returned to his substantive role as military assistant to the CDF following Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye’s return from leave. “The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has appointed Brigadier Paul Muwonge as the new commander of the UPDF Mountain Infantry Division based in Fort Portal, western Uganda,” said Magezi. “Brigadier Muwonge has been elevated from his previous role as Deputy Commander of the same division, replacing Maj Gen James Birungi, who assumed command in April this year.” Birungi’s abrupt redeployment comes amid ongoing investigations into two senior CMI officers reportedly linked to subversive activities. The suspects, a colonel and a major are believed to have been close associates of Birungi during his tenure at the helm of CMI.