New Twist in Ex-CMI Boss Arrest as Fresh Details Emerge
BY RED PEPPER INTELLIGENCE UNIT
There’s a fresh twist in the arrest of former CMI boss Gen. James Birungi, with new details exclusively emerging from the Red Pepper Intelligence Unit.
Gen. Birungi, arrested last month on charges yet to be confirmed, remains locked up at Makindye Military Barracks. He is reportedly allowed to see only close family members on Wednesdays as investigations intensify.
Unconfirmed reports link his arrest to alleged intelligence lapses that allowed ADF elements to plant bombs in Kampala in recent-past. Some accounts suggest that during his tenure, ADF may have infiltrated the army’s intelligence wing and exploited weaknesses to carry out attacks.
Rumours also persist that some of these bombings may even have been stage-managed by elements inside the system—with or without Birungi’s knowledge.
CK’s Role
Sources point to Brig. Charles Asiimwe (CK), the former deputy CMI boss, as key in unearthing sensitive details that cast Birungi in the spotlight.
Gen.Birungi joined CMI in 2022 following the removal Brig Asiimwe together with his boss, Maj Gen Abel Kandiho. Kandiho who was sent to police as Chief of Joint Staff has since returned to the army for redeployment while CK was sent for further training.
But in 2024 CK was redeployed and sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo as a military attaché to Uganda’s Embassy.
This position made him in charge of military and intelligence operations at the mission.
The appointment also came at a time when UPDF operation Shujja in DRC is still ongoing to flush out ADF remnants.
In this role, he has reportedly been gathering intelligence on ADF operations across the Great Lakes region.
Whatever he found out, he presented a detailed report to his superiors in Kampala and some people including Gen.Birungi had to answer some questions raised in the report, according to sources.
It goes without mention that CK was among the top military intelligence investigators who probed the 2010 Kampala bombings.
The ringleader of the attackers, Issa Luyima, had been captured in Kenya and flown to Uganda where he had bribed his way out of immigration officers.
Then as CMI’s operations commander Capt Asiimwe is said to have organized a team of experts who scrutinized the phone printouts of all the suspects before their arrest.
This was after recovery of a sim-card belonging to one of the terrorists.
Presented with overwhelming evidence, the suspects would later confirm their participation in the bombings.
It’s this precious evidence that Justice Owiny Dollo relied on to convict the terrorism suspects.
Asiimwe also commanded the operations of JATT, the crack unit of military intelligence.
He also served as an intelligence officer in specialized military operations in the Central African Republic.
Political Undercurrents?
The saga also has a political dimension. The wives of the two generals—Doreen Katushabe Birungi (wife to Gen. Birungi) and Deborah Tuhirirwe Rwabwogo, said to be CK’s wife and also sister to President Museveni’s son in-law Odrek Rwabwogo—recently faced off in the NRM primaries for Lyantonde District Woman MP.
Katushabe (Gen.Birungi’s wife) won the race, but CK’s alleged wife Deborah who came second, together with other losers in the race (Kemirembe Pauline Kyaka, Kyogabirwa Jolly Bukundo, Daphine Kanyensigye Rwakiiki, Namboyera Agnes, Kabarongo Generous Namara, and Katugume Mazaana Robinah) ganged up and petitioned the party’s electoral commission, calling for the nullification of the July 17th election results and demanding fresh polls.
The petitioners alleged widespread irregularities that they say fundamentally compromised the credibility of the election.
The petitioners accused Katushabe of securing victory through voter bribery, ferrying of ineligible voters, intimidation using armed security operatives, and misuse of government vehicles during the campaign.
They further claimed that the voting process did not adhere to NRM’s own rules, particularly the requirement to use the official yellow book register and to publicly read out names of voters at polling stations.
In their joint petition, the candidates argued that the NRM district registrar and the party’s electoral commission failed in their duty to oversee a fair and transparent election. They describe the exercise as a “premeditated and criminal subversion of the integrity of the electoral process,” citing incidents where the presence of gun-wielding men at polling stations allegedly frightened voters and disadvantaged other candidates.
The petitioners sought either a cancellation of the election and the organisation of fresh primaries, or an exceptional ruling allowing all seven to contest again, either under the NRM flag or as independents in the upcoming general elections.
The NRM tribunal still upheld Gen.Birungi’s wife victory.
The two women election war has reportedly been escalated to StateHouse to resolve.
Deborah is now reportedly plotting to run as an independent candidate in 2026, setting the stage for another bruising contest.
Meanwhile, with Gen. Birungi’s prolonged detention, whispers suggest his wife’s financial and political muscle could be weakening—leaving her exposed.
It goes without mention that Deborah works at StateHouse.
As investigations into Birungi’s case drag on, and with political battles heating up, the lines between military intelligence intrigues and local politics remain blurred. One thing is certain: this story is far from over.
We shall keep you updated.
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