Efforts by family and friends to secure temporary freedom for former Defence, Intelligence and Security (DIS) commandant Maj Gen James Birungi have hit a dead end after he was dragged into accusation of planting operatives to spy on president Museveni’s movements inside and outside State House and always receiving a briefing of his plans before they are officially communicated to him or to other concerned security/government officials.
The development shocked his wife Doreen Katushabe Birungi who is the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer for Lyantonde District for the position of Woman Member of Parliament.
Katushabe has been planning to have a meeting with President Museveni to apologise on behalf of her incarcerated husband and plead for his freedom who has been in detention since August 2025.
Maj Gen Birungi was arrested and detained at Makindye military barracks together with other officers who were working under his command on orders of the Chief of Défense Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
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Gen Muhoozi first established a special committee chaired by his deputy Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, Maj. Dr. Tom Magambo the police Director of Criminal Investigation, Maj Gen Christopher Ddamulira the police Director of Crime Intelligence and other top detectives to investigate the allegation that Maj Gen Birungi and others personally participated in masterminding fake bombs blasts in Kampala city and the surrounding areas where innocent Ugandans died.
It is also alleged that they fed the Commander-in-chief who also is the president of the country with fake intelligence concerning the ongoing fight against Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists.
They are also accussed of other crimes related to corruption in military intelligence
Family sources told Ono Bwino online that they decided to look for the President after realising that he is the only one who can order Gen Muhoozi to release their relative who is expected to face the military court martial to defend himself together with others.
Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye the military spokesperson told this website that very soon, the military court will be operationalised after the president signed the UPDF Amendment Act which resurrects the powers of the military court which were weakened by the landmark judgement of the Supreme Court.
However, this website learnt that the military court is expected to start working by either February or March 2026 which means that the suspects still have more time to spend in detention
“Yes, the wife briefed the General when she was allowed to see him in military detention and he approved the plan to met the President,” a family source said
Because the family urgently wants their relative released, they reached out to their State House contacts to help them arrange a meeting with the old man from Rwakitura but he openly informed them that it is not going to be easy for them to have a meeting with the president on grounds that he is still busy with his countrywide presidential election campaigns.
They were advised that maybe they can try their chances during the Christmas season and ask to be fixed in those dates as they did for former Inspector General of Police General Edward Kale Kayihura last year.
They were further informed that the President is very bitter with Maj Gen Birungi because he has information that he is among the top government officials who have been paying his State House close staff members to spy on him and make sure that some communication especially letters don’t reach him.
Recently, the president announced that he had fired a number of State House staff because they were being paid more than Shs30m to make sure that some communications like letters don’t reach him.
He added that it was his daughter Natasha Karugire who helped him to establish the corruption in State House.
Museveni noted that whenever he receives a letter, he always makes sure that he responds to it and guides the relevant government authority on how to handle, but he was shocked to establish that only letters which were paid for reached his desk.
Sources told Ono Bwino that it was not only Maj Gen Birungi who had planted spies on Museveni, but a number of government officials had done so to avoid being caught off-guard by the decisions from the President and get to know the persons who are fighting them before the President.
Before his death, former senior press secretary to president Museveni, Joseph Tamale Mirundi told this website that Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi a former political journalist with new vision wrote a confidential letter against his boss Robert Kabushenga the former Chief Executive Officer of New Vision Group, and because of the spies Kabushenga had around Museveni, before exiting State House, Kabushenga was briefed about the document and it didn’t reach Museveni as Kateregga wished.
A senior State House staff told this website that what Maj Gen Birungi and other government officials do by planting spies on the President is very dangerous because it interferes with the President’s decision making and threatens his person and the country’s security
Government news paper the new vision recently reported that more than ten DIS officials have been arrested and detained together with Maj Gen Birungi on allegations of involving in criminality which has led to death of innocent people.
This website has also established that in detention, there also civilians and other members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) who were working with DIS bosses to mastermind fake bombs so as to receive money for security operations to fight terrorists
In June 2025, a one Aisha Katushabe alias Sumayah Byaruhanga and Kabonesa together was a bodaboda rider were killed near Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine and security claimed that they were transporting a bomb to kill innocent people at the Catholic Shrine.
Another woman was also killed near Kalerwe market and a motorcycle ride survived, security claimed that she was a terrorist and had been surveilling her for five days. Security alleged that they decided to gun her down because she refused to surrender and instead tried to force her way into the market to kill innocent people.
Among those under detention on fake bomb allegations include Col Peter Ahimbisibwe, Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga and others.
