President Yoweri Museveni on Monday promoted the head of the Anti-Corruption Unit of State House, Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema and Deputy Defence Spokesperson Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki to the rank of full Colonel.

Akiiki and Nakalema are part of the 1,433 UPDF officers who have earned new ranks in the past week.

These included the 40 who were promoted to the ranks of Brigadier (33) and Major Generals (7) on Friday by Museveni.

Other officers were promoted to other different ranks.

Those promoted from the rank of Brigadier General to Major General include David Kyamukama Kasura, David K Wakaala, Michael Ondoga, Dick Olum, Kayanja Muhanga, Octavia Butuuro and Francis Takirwa.

The 33 Colonels promoted to the rank of Brigadier include Coleb Mugisha, Joram Kagezi, Sharif Stephen Gava, Tom Kikoyo Kabuye, John Byuma, Francis Kashaka, John Sasa Obima, Benon Ntegyereize, Paul Eswapu, Godfrey K Muwanguzi, James Rubahika, Abdul Kasule, Emmanuel Kwihangana, Agnes Musoke, Vincent Lwanga Senfuka, Mwanja Ssekiranda, Francis Bbosa Kato.

Others include; Robert Freeman Mugabe, Alex Gabula Lugeni. Eriazille Sake Okolong, Anthony Lukwago Mbuusi, Maximus Gumisiriza, Chris Ogwal, Fred Twinamatsiko, Kefa Nangeso, Charles Kisembo, Ham Atwoki Kaija, Julius Bagonza, Christopher Apuuli Kasaija, Fred Kiyingi, David Robert Gonyi, Felix Busizoori and Keith Katungi.

Maj. Gen. Muhanga, Maj Gen Dick Olum and Maj Gen Michael Ondoga each played a critical role in ensuring total peace in the 2016 elections. Muhanga was in charge of the greater Kampala area and was the coordinator of all security and intelligence operations.

In December 2020 President Museveni appointed Muhanga as the overall operations coordinator of security in the Kampala Metropolitan area during and after elections. Muhanga took overall operations and was based at Naguru police headquarters.

Under his new mandate, he reported directly to Museveni and worked closely with the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen Paul Lokech a close colleague he had closely worked within Somalia.

Muhanga has previously served as the Commander of the UPDF Contingent in Somalia in 2014. In 2019 at the height of the escalation of the relations between Uganda and Rwanda, he was recalled and named 2nd Division commander before he was replaced by the then Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech and later sent to South African National Defence College for a one-year Defence strategic course.

Under Muhanga’s leadership, there was total security in the National Unity Platform bases in Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso and elections were held peacefully.

Maj. Gen. Olum and Maj. Gen. Michael Ondoga were in charge of security in Northern Uganda. Ondoga also served in Somalia between 2008 and 2011 as the UPDF contingent commander in Somalia but would later be arrested and charged with several offences.

In May 2015 all the charges against him were dropped and in 2016, he was appointed deputy directors at the National Enterprise Corporations (NEC). He was later posted to Saudi Arabia as a Military attaché in July 2019.

Maj. Gen. Olum is current Uganda's military attaché at the embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based in Kinshasa having posted to serve in October 2017.  Before this, he served as the commanding officer of the third army division of the UPDF, based in Moroto but had also served as the commander of the UPDF contingent in Somalia in 2013.

Katungi is the current Commander of the Military Police having been appointed to the same position in August 2020. The Military Police was key in quelling violence during the election period in the country. Kabuye is the Chairman of the Unit Disciplinary Committee of the UPDF.