The General Court Martial sitting at Makindye has remanded Maj Gen James Birungi on charges of treachery and offences relating to (in)security.
Birungi, the former director of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), now known as the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), was on Monday arraigned before a panel chaired by Brig Gen Richard Tukacungurwa. He was formally charged nearly a year after his arrest in August 2025.
Birungi was brought to court at around 10:37 a.m. alongside three other Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officers. URN understands that the three officers have been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of suspected suicide bombers during separate security operations.
The incidents relate to the shooting of a woman travelling on a motorcycle near Kalerwe Market and a man near the Catholic Shrine in Munyonyo during the Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations.
The identities of Birungi’s three co-accused had not been officially confirmed by the time of publication. However, one of them was identified only as Byaruhanga. Media coverage of the proceedings was restricted after journalists were barred from photographing the accused or reporting from inside the courtroom.
Maj Alex Echeru, the officer in charge of the Makindye Military Barracks prison cells, who led the security team escorting Birungi to court, prevented members of the press from taking photographs or covering the proceedings.
The General Court Martial remanded Birungi and his co-accused to Makindye Military Barracks until August 3, 2026, when they are expected to return to court.
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba had earlier removed Birungi from his position as commander of the Mountain Infantry Division, barely two months after his appointment.
Birungi had been transferred from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) on April 16, 2025, in a reshuffle that saw him swap positions with Maj Gen Richard Otto, who took over as head of CMI.
He was later arrested in August 2025. According to sources, he was accused of allegedly providing false intelligence reports relating to counterfeit fuel and suspected suicide bombers in order to facilitate the fraudulent acquisition of government funds. Those allegations remained untested in court until his arraignment on Monday.
Notably, Birungi is among the individuals listed as state witnesses in the treason case against Dr Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya and Capt Denis Oola, who are accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
His prosecution on treachery charges means that he now faces allegations carrying similarly severe penalties, including the death sentence upon conviction.