A quiet but far-reaching investigation is unfolding within Uganda’s security circles after the arrest and interrogation of several high-ranking officers, including Gen. Birungi over a series of unresolved high-profile shootings that once sent shockwaves across the nation.
According to authoritative security insiders, the officers are being questioned about possible links or intelligence lapses surrounding the assassination of AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi in 2017, the murder of Maj. Muhammad Kiggundu in 2016 and the attempted assassination of Works and Transport Minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala in 2021.
Interrogation
Investigators are said to be exploring whether rogue elements within the security establishment may have aided, concealed, or ignored warning signs ahead of the attacks. The suspects reportedly faced hours of interrogation about internal operations, chain of command irregularities and communication patterns in the lead-up to each incident.
A senior source familiar with the probe disclosed that, “Interrogators are revisiting earlier files with new intelligence leads and some officers have been asked to account for their movements, access to classified briefings and operational decisions at the time of the attacks.”
The same source added that some of the detained officers previously held sensitive posts in intelligence or command units with access to privileged operational information a detail investigators consider critical in unraveling whether the assassinations were purely external acts or had internal facilitation.
Revisiting the Pattern of Killings
The three attacks under scrutiny share a chilling modus operandi.Gunmen riding on motorcycles, precision shootings in broad daylight and swift escapes without capture.
Maj. Muhammad Kiggundu was gunned down in November 2016 along Masanafu Road in Rubaga Division. AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi, his bodyguard and driver were shot dead in Kulambiro, Kampala, in March 2017.
Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala survived an ambush in June 2021 in Kisaasi, Kampala, though his daughter Brenda Nantongo and driver Haruna Kayondo were killed.
Security analysts note that despite arrests and multiple investigations, no conclusive convictions have been made raising suspicions of deep-seated sabotage or compromised probes.
Power, Silence and Fear in the Barracks
The questioning of Gen. Birungi and other senior officers has reportedly unsettled the military establishment. Some insiders describe a “code of silence” surrounding the detentions with limited access to the suspects and minimal official communication from the Ministry of Defence or the UPDF Spokesperson’s office.
A retired intelligence operative told publication that the fresh round of interrogations could mark a turning point. “For years, these cases have remained in limbo. But when generals start getting summoned, it means the net is tightening around people who were once considered untouchable,” the source said.
Implications
The renewed investigations come at a time when the government is under growing pressure to demonstrate accountability in long-standing unsolved assassinations that have undermined public confidence in security institutions.
If proven that internal actors played any role whether by commission or omission , the revelations could trigger one of the most significant security purges in recent memory.
Officials have remained tight-lipped, citing the sensitivity of the matter. However, a government source confirmed that “the investigations are being handled at the highest level with instructions to leave no stone unturned.”
As the probe deepens, Uganda waits to see whether the latest interrogations will finally break the silence that has surrounded some of the Uganda’s most haunting political killings.
