'Former CMI boss Birungi pardoned'
Birungi was arrested on August 30, 2025, and charged before the General Court Martial before he was remanded to Makindye Military Barracks, where he is to date.
Former head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), Maj. Gen. James Birungi. (File)
__________________
The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) leadership has pardoned the former head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), now known as the Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), Maj. Gen. James Birungi.
In a post on his X platform, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said Birungi, who is facing charges related to security and fabricating intelligence reports allegedly to get operational funds, deserved a severe sentence but would be forgiven.
“Maj. Gen. Birungi committed great crimes against our army and people. He should rightly have faced a very severe sentence. However, I believe in Jesus Christ, who always teaches forgiveness. Christ forgave me; who am I not to forgive myself? I have forgiven him. We will release him soon,” Kainerugaba said.
Birungi was arrested on August 30, 2025, and charged before the General Court Martial before he was remanded to Makindye Military Barracks, where he is to date.
The army prosecution alleged that Birungi fabricated intelligence reports and manipulated security operations to obtain funds from the state.
However, early this month, a state witness, Hamza Lyavaala told the military court that he had been tortured and forced to make statements implicating Maj. Gen Birungi.
This was during the ongoing trial of Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, the former commander of special operations in CMI, who is also accused of orchestrating fake bombs that led to death of three people last year.
Lyavala was convicted alongside Adil Walusansa after pleading guilty to murder. However, the two later turned around and asked the General Court Martial to change their plea to that of not guilty, saying they had been advised to change the plea by their lawyers.
Lyavala told court that Rugumayo wanted him to claim that Birungi had provided sh10m to facilitate the alleged bomb missions, a claim he said was false.
He made the allegations during cross-examination by defence lawyer Frank Kanduho before the court martial chaired by Brig Gen Richard Tukacungurwa.
With the CDF's statement saying Birungi would be pardoned, it remains unclear what will become of the court case he has been facing before the court martial.
Previous pardoning of some of the senior UPDF officers, like Gen. Kale Kayihura, who was arrested in 2018 and charged with treachery, saw their cases dropped.