CDF Gen. Muhoozi appoints new SFC commander
According to a statement signed by Col. Chris Magezi, the acting director of Defence and Public Information of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UDPF), Nyakikuru's appointment and promotion take immediate effect. Nyakikuru has been the deputy SFC commandant.
Nyakikuru (Pictured), who has since been promoted to the rank of acting Major General, replaces Maj. Gen. David Mugisha, who will be preparing to leave to attend the National Defence College (NDC) course abroad in a couple of months' time.
KAMPALA - The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, has appointed Brig. Gen. Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru as the acting Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC).
Nyakikuru, who has since been promoted to the rank of acting Major General, replaces Maj. Gen. David Mugisha, who will be preparing to leave to attend the National Defence College (NDC) course abroad in a couple of months' time.
According to a statement signed by Col. Chris Magezi, the acting director of Defence and Public Information of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UDPF), Nyakikuru's appointment and promotion take immediate effect.
Nyakikuru has been the deputy SFC commandant.
“The UPDF thanks Major General David Mugisha for the outstanding tour of duty as Commander, SFC and wishes him good luck in his strategic security studies. We also congratulate Acting Major General Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru on his deserved appointment and promotion. We also wish him good luck in his new duties,” Magezi wrote.
In August 2022, President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the commander-in-chief of the defence forces, appointed Mugisha as the commander of SFC, an elite unit of the UPDF charged with guarding the president and members of the first family.
Then, Mugisha (who was also still at the rank of Brigadier) replaced Brig. Felix Busizoori (now Major General). Busizoori was then sent to the 3rd Division in Moroto as deputy commander. Busizoori is currently the 4th Infantry Division commandant.
Other latest promotions
The development comes hardly a week after President Museveni promoted 301 military officers and confirmed the ranks of 172 others in a move aimed at professionalising the army.
The changes affected officers across various levels, including Generals, Senior and Junior ranks.
Then, Col. Magezi said among those affected are 83 officers who had been serving in acting capacities and have now been confirmed in their substantive positions. In addition, 89 Second Lieutenants, who had been on probation, were officially confirmed as full Lieutenants.
At the senior command level, Maj. Gen. Joseph Musoke Ssemwanga, who had been serving in an acting capacity, was confirmed as a substantive Major General. Others who were promoted from the rank of Brigadier to Major General include: Godwin Karugaba; Chris Musinguzi Bagonza; Michael Nyarwa; Richard Karemire; and David Robert Gonyi.
Rogers Kitwala and Mike Walaka Hyeroba were promoted to Brigadier General, alongside numerous promotions across Lieutenant Colonel, Major, and Captain ranks.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the latest promotions and rank confirmations are intended to reinforce command structures, enhance leadership effectiveness and ensure continuity in the UPDF’s mandate of safeguarding Uganda’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The ministry congratulated all the officers who were promoted and confirmed, describing the move as an important step in strengthening the institution’s operational readiness and leadership capacity.
These promotions and confirmations strengthen leadership across all levels of the force and ensure continuity in fulfilling the UPDF’s constitutional mandate to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uganda.
Key among these include Public Service Minister and former Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Katumba Wamala; Lt Gen Charles Angina, the former Deputy Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and currently Uganda’s deputy ambassador to Egypt; Former Chief of Staff Maj Gen Leopold Kyanda; former Chief of Military Intelligence Maj Gen Abel Kandiho; Maj Gen Kaasiita Gowa, the former Chief of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control; and former Deputy Inspector General of Police Maj Gen Tumusiime Katsigazi, among others.
It also comes in the wake of the UPDF releasing a public notice on the physical recruitment exercise that will run from August 10 - 22, 2026, in different districts across the country.
Magezi said only shortlisted candidates as displayed on the UPDF portal are required to report to the assigned centres in the district where their names appear.
“They must report with all the requirements indicated. Also note that only the UPDF technical recruitment teams have the sole authority to recruit anyone into the UPDF as per the recruitment criteria. The role of the local councils, district and city authorities is to ensure that shortlisted candidates as displayed on the UPDF portal are adult Ugandans without a criminal record, and are residents of the area in which they applied,” Magezi stated.
Each of the shortlisted applicants is required to come with: a handwritten application addressed to the Joint Staff Human Resource Management; Recommendations from Local Council 1 (LC1), LCIII and Gombolola Internal Security Officer or District Internal Security Officer; three coloured passport-size photographs; original national Identity Card; as well as the originals and photocopies of academic documents.
In June this year, the UPDF announced the commencement of the online general recruitment exercise for the year 2026, inviting qualified, disciplined, and patriotic Ugandan citizens to serve their country in both regular and professional capacities.
The UPDF, in a statement, said the shortlist of successful candidates will be published on the UPDF website and displayed at all City and District notice boards between July 1 and 14, 2026. District recruitment quotas will be determined by the Uganda National Population and Housing Census 2024 report.
The UPDF noted that the recruitment is free. "No agents or intermediaries are involved. Report fraudsters. Females with professional qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply. Forged or falsified documents will lead to arrest and prosecution,” Magezi stated.
The army called upon all eligible Ugandans to seize this opportunity to serve their nation. “This exercise reflects the enduring values of Discipline, Patriotism, and Pan‑Africanism,” Magezi said.