Former military intelligence chief Maj Gen James Birungi has been remanded by the General Court Martial sitting at Makindye after being formally charged with treachery and offences related to security.
The court, chaired by Brig Gen Richard Tukacungurwa, ordered Birungi to remain in custody at Makindye Military Barracks until August 3, 2026, when he is expected to return for further proceedings.
Birungi appeared before the military court alongside three other Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officers. While Birungi faces treachery-related charges, the three officers are reportedly accused of murder in connection with separate operations in which suspected suicide bombers were shot dead near Kalerwe Market and the Munyonyo Catholic Shrine during the Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations.
Security around the hearing was tight, with journalists barred from taking photographs or reporting from inside the courtroom. Maj Alex Echeru, who supervised the escort of the accused to court, enforced the restrictions.
The charges come nearly a year after Birungi’s arrest in August 2025.
Before his arrest, he had served as Director of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), now known as the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS).
He was transferred in April 2025 to command the Mountain Infantry Division before later being removed from the position by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Investigators are said to have accused Birungi of allegedly generating false intelligence reports concerning counterfeit fuel and suspected suicide bomb threats, claims prosecutors believe were intended to facilitate the fraudulent release of government funds.
Those allegations have now been formally presented before the court for the first time.
Birungi is also listed as a prosecution witness in the treason case involving opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya and Capt Denis Oola.
His own prosecution on treachery charges now places him at the centre of a separate high-profile military case.
If convicted, Birungi could face severe penalties under Uganda’s military justice system, including the maximum sentence provided by law.