Two senior officers of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces have been arrested in a fresh crackdown ordered by the Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Security sources say Major General Don William Nabasa, a former commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), and Brigadier General Johnson Namanya Abaho were detained on Friday, March 27, 2026. The two are currently being held at the Kasenyi military detention facility.
Although the army has not issued an official statement explaining the arrests or any charges, insiders link the move to an ongoing anti-corruption drive within the military spearheaded by Gen Kainerugaba.
The arrests come amid wider changes in the Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), the UPDF’s top intelligence arm. The Deputy Chief of DIS, Col Abdul Rugumayo, has been dropped and replaced by Brigadier General Oscar Munanura. No formal reason has been given for Rugumayo’s removal, but sources suggest it may be tied to the same internal crackdown.
DIS, formerly known as the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), was restructured in 2021 and remains central to Uganda’s military intelligence operations.
At the time of his arrest, Maj Gen Nabasa was serving as Joint Staff in charge of Policy and Strategy, a role he assumed in January 2025. Over the years, he has held several key positions, including commander of the 3rd Infantry Division in Moroto, head of the UPDF Military Police, and commander of the elite SFC. He also previously led Ugandan troops under the African Union mission in Somalia.
Brig Gen Namanya, on the other hand, had only recently returned to active military service after working at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he served as Commissioner for Citizenship and Passport Control.
