Who are the men Museveni has entrusted with the Army?

Maj Gen Leopold Eric Kyanda, Joint Chief of Staff

Gen Kyanda was born on January 1, 1970.

He was yesterday assigned the new docket of Joint Chief of Staff.

Prior to the appointment, Maj Gen Kyanda served as the UPDF Chief of Staff for Land Forces.

His involvement in army started in 1994 as a driver to the then Brig Ivan Koreta.

He was later absorbed in the then Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB) now known as Special Forces Command (SFC).

Kyanda rose through the military ranks until he became the commander of PGB.

He was later appointed the commandant of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) before taking on the next assignment of Military Attaché, an assignment he served for two years.

Upon return home, he was appointed Chief of Personnel and Administration in the army and later elevated in rank to Brigadier before being appointed the chief of Staff of Land Forces, a position he has been holding until yesterday’s reshuffle.

Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, Chief of Defence Forces

Until his coveted appointment as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) yesterday, Lt Gen Mbadi was the deputy Chief of Defence Forces. However, President Museveni promoted him to the rank of full general before appointing him CDF.

Gen Mbadi joined the army in 1986 and in 1991, he was commissioned following the completion of a one-year cadet course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. In 1992, he attended the platoon commander’s course at Uganda School of Infantry. In 1994, he attended the Uganda Junior Staff College in Jinja.

In 1998, he attended Mobile International Defence Management course in Lusaka, Zambia. He also attended the company command course in Tanzania.

In 2001, Lt Gen Mbadi attended the combat group command course at armored Corps Centre and School in India.

Later in 2004, he attended the senior command and staff college course at National Defence College in Kenya and also completed the peace support operations course in Kenya.

In 2005, he took full command of the 507 Brigade before becoming the Principal Air Staff Officer at Air Force headquarters in 2006. In 2007, Mbadi became ADC to President Museveni, serving in that capacity until December 2012 when he was appointed Commander of the 4th Infantry Division based in Gulu.

In May 2013, he was appointed Joint Chief of Staff of the UPDF.

In 2017, he was appointed deputy Chief of Defence Forces, replacing Lt Gen Charles Angina, who was in turn appointed the deputy commander, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC).

Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Commander of Land Forces

Born on April 24, 1974, the First son  has been appointed the Commander of Land Forces.

Prior to the new assignment,  Lt Gen Muhoozi was the commander of the Special Forces Command, an elite forces unit that guards the President, his family, oil fields, high security installations, among others.

He began his military career in 1999 at the rank of officer cadet and graduated in 2000 from the royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the British army’s officer training school.

In 2000, Muhoozi was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and deployed in the then Presidential Protection Unit (PPU).

In 2002, he attended a Company Commander/Battalion Commander’s Course in Egypt.

In 2003 with the re-organisation of the PPU into the Presidential Guards Brigade (PGB), then Capt Muhoozi, was promoted to the rank of Major and became the commanding officer of the fledgling Motorised Infantry Battalion, and a member of the Defence Forces Council.

Two years later, he took command and trained with an infantry company in advanced infantry skills at Kasenyi Training School.

In 2006, he supervised the training and organization of the newly formed 1 Commando Battalion in Barlege, Otuke County, Lira District.

In 2007, he was deployed with the newly formed 1 Commando Battalion to Bundibugyo to tackle the Allied Defense Forces (ADF).

The first son in July 2008, was made the UPDF’s first paratrooper after graduating from the US Army’s Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia.

That same year Muhoozi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Commander of Special Forces in the UPDF.

In 2010 he was appointed as the first Commander Special Forces Group (SFG).

In September 2011, Muhoozi was promoted to rank of Colonel.

In August 2012, he was promoted to Brigadier General and appointed Commander Special Forces Command.

In 2017, he was appointed Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Duties, a position he held till December of 2020.

He was reappointed as the Commander of the elite Special Forces Command (SFC) in December 2020 and promoted to the rank of Lt Gen.

Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu, Civil Service

Lt Gen Musanyufu has been appointed to civil service.

The 59-year-old general was born in Bushenyi District, Western Uganda.

He attended Kitabi Seminary in Bushenyi District and Ntare School in Mbarara District. He later joined Makerere University graduating with first class Hon Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.

He began his military journey in August 1985 when he joined the National Resistance Army.

At that time, his recruit class included James Mugira, Shaban Bantariza (RIP), and Gen David Muhoozi.

He once served as an ADC to Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu when he [Muntu] was the CDF.

Gen Musanyufu also served as the deputy to the late Nobel Mayombo as the deputy Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.

Later, he served as Chief Comptroller Finance of the UPDF and then as Chief of Integrated Resource Management Information System.

In January 2017, he was appointed the Joint Chief of Staff.  In February 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Lt General.

Lt Gen Charles Angina, Foreign Affairs

He was born on March 29, 1962 in Bukedea District.

He started his military career in 1983 when he joined the National Resistance Army as a cadet officer. After training for one year, he was commissioned in 1985.

From 1985, Lt Gen Angina attended several military courses, including the National Defence Course, China in 1998, Command and General Staff Course, United States in 2000, Military and Media in a Democracy, University of Kansas in 2000, Joint Tactical Command Course, and China and Combined Platoon Commander Course, North Korea.

He served as an Intelligence Officer, Platoon Commander, and Operational Intelligence Officer Combined Mobile Forces and as 4th Division Intelligence Officer.

From there, he served as Operations Coordinator 2nd Division, then he served 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 DR Congo.

From there, he served as a military adviser in Tanzania before he was transferred to the Embassy of Uganda in Washington DC as the military attaché.  

 He was later appointed chairperson of General Court Martial of the UPDF before he later served as the Chief of Staff Land Forces in the UPDF.

In 2013, he was appointed deputy CDF, a position he served up to 2017 when he was replaced by Gen Mbadi as he was appointed, deputy chief coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation.

Lt Gen Angina has been posted to Foreign Affairs for subsequent deployment.

Brig Gen Peter Chandia, acting commander of the SFC

Until yesterday, Brig Gen Chandia was the deputy commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC).

In yesterday’s postings, he was promoted to acting commander of the SFC.

He replaces Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the first son, who had been in charge of the unit guarding since late last year.

Late last year, Brig Gen Chandia held a scientific holy matrimony at St John’s Church of Uganda, Entebbe, a function which was attended by a few close family members, military officers and other government officials.

Lt Gen Peter Elwelu, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces

 He is the new deputy Chief of Defence Forces.  Gen Elwelu who joined the army in 1978, attended the Tanzania Military Academy in Monduli.

He was later posted to military installation at Kabamba.

In 1995, he was transferred to Gaddaffi Military Barracks in Jinja, a cadet officer school.

When Uganda first sent troops to Somalia in 2007 under the African Union Mission to Somalia, Lt Gen Elwelu commanded the first Uganda military contingent.

In June 2013, he was appointed commander of the 2nd UPDF Division based in Mbarara. Prior to that, he had served as the commander of the UPDF 3rd Division in Moroto.

In November 2016 as the 2nd Division commander,  Gen Elwelu commanded the UPDF troops that attacked Rwenzururu King Charles Mumbere’s palace in Kasese, leaving more than 100 people, including children, dead.

Following the clashes, Opposition leaders by way of private prosecution, dragged President Museveni, Gen Elwelu who oversaw the operation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly committing crimes against humanity.

However, the Hague-based court in December last year said the clashes between the government forces and the Rwenzururu royals did not amount to crimes against humanity or genocide against the Bakonzo, hence could not prefer any charges against them.

He also served as the commander of Land Forces after he was transferred from Mbarara as Second Division Commander.

In February 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Lt Gen from Maj Gen.

Gen Elwelu is also one of the 10 UPDF officers voted to represent the army in Parliament. Speaking on the sidelines of his swearing-in, he said the more than 100 Rwenzururu royal guards and family members killed during the Kasese clashes, were criminals.  He was also among the seven top to middle commanders of security forces that were recently sanctioned by the US, for alleged involvement in human rights abuses in Uganda.

Maj Gen Sam Kavuma, Operation Wealth Creation

  He was born in 1960.  Maj Gen Kavuma was posted to Operation Wealth Creation as second in-charge.

Until yesterday, he was the Deputy Commander of Land Forces in the UPDF.

Previously, he served as the deputy commander of the UPDF Air Force, Commander of the UPDF Contingent in Somalia, as part of the African Union Mission to Somalia and commanding officer of the UPDF 5th Division, based in Pader District, northern Uganda.

Kavuma trained from the National Defence College, Kenya, between July 2012 and June 2013 before being appointed commander of the regional taskforce against the Lord Resistance Army in South Sudan and Central African Republic.

He once served as chairperson of Wazalendo Savings and Credit Cooperative Society. In August 2018, Maj Gen Kavuma was one of the three top military officers who stood surety for then imprisoned former IGP, Gen Kale Kayihura before the General Court Martial in Makindye.

Brig Gen Charles Kisembo, commandant, Kyankwanzi Political School

He has been appointed as commandant, Kyankwanzi Political School.

Gen Kisembo previously worked as an International Observer (IO) under IGAD in the UN controlled Mission in South Sudan. He headed a team of international observers in monitoring compliance and violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) in South Sudan.

For the last 32 years in the UPDF, he has held various dockets majorly in the staff branches.

Gen Kisembo once worked as chief instructor and commandant in the School of Military Intelligence.

He also served as an Analyst and Researcher, worked as a Director Defense Review Secretariat (DRS) at the Ministry of Defense headquarters, headed the Uganda Defence Doctrine (UDD) Secretariat and became part of the UPDF establishment committee.

He also worked as a director, Capability, Ministry of Defence.

Brig Gen Bob Ogiki, Chief of Staff, Land Forces

He has been appointed Chief of Staff, Land Forces.

He attended intake 37 in Monduli, Tanzania in 1997, and was commissioned at the rank of corporal.

At the rank of Colonel,   Gen Ogiki became the Amisom Uganda battle group XIV commander in 2015 replacing Col Frank Kyambadde in Somalia.

During the South Sudan conflict, in 2013, he was deployed as operational commander under the overall command of then Col Muhanga Mayanja.

He was later deployed as the deputy commandant of the senior command and staff college, Kimaka as deputy commandant.

He was recently appointed the military chief of staff at the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Maj Gen David Kyomukama Kasura

Kyomukama was yesterday deployed to the Civil Service. Prior, he was head of Kyankwanzi Political School, which docket will now be headed by Brig Kisembo.

He is from Buyanja in Rukungiri District.