Brigadier General Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru has been appointed acting Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), the elite Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) unit responsible for protecting President Yoweri Museveni, members of the First Family and other key installations.
The appointment was made by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who also serves as Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations. Nyakikuru has been granted the acting rank of Major General, with both the appointment and promotion taking immediate effect.
He replaces Major General David Mugisha, who is set to leave for the National Defence College course abroad in the coming months.
Nyakikuru has been serving as the SFC Deputy Commander since 2024, after replacing Brigadier General Charity Bainababo. Before becoming deputy commander, he headed the SFC Commando Force, where he gained experience leading specialised military operations.
The new acting SFC commander has participated in several major UPDF operations both inside and outside Uganda.
During Uganda’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia, Nyakikuru played a key role in operations against Al-Shabaab militants, including efforts that helped push the group out of strategic positions in Mogadishu.
In South Sudan, he commanded commando units during the 2013 conflict, where UPDF forces helped President Salva Kiir’s government repel an attempted takeover by forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar.
He has also been involved in military operations against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in western Uganda and campaigns against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda.
In 2021, Nyakikuru commanded Special Forces operations in Kampala during opposition protests. That same year, President Museveni elevated the first Commando Battalion, which was under his command, into a full brigade.
Beyond field operations, Nyakikuru has overseen Camp Rufu in Kiruhura District, a specialised military facility focused on training sniper commandos. The camp hosts the One Commando Battalion and the Special Forces training centre.
