By Spy Uganda
Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence boss Maj Gen Abel Kandiho has been sacked from his position and replaced by Maj Gen James Birungi.
Gen Birungi has been on a special assignment to monitor the guarantors of the South Sudan peace process, and previously has served as Chief of Air Force Staff of the Uganda Peoples Defense Air Force and also as commander of the Special Forces Command.
Political pundits say the development, coming hot on the heels of two emissaries meeting President Paul Kagame, means President Yoweri Museveni is ceding more ground on the conditions that Rwanda tabled before the two countries’ relations can be restored.
Kigali cited and demanded the removal of Maj Gen Kandiho. It claimed that under his watch, CMI operatives engaged in human rights abuses, including kidnap, torture and imprisonment of hundreds of Rwandans in Uganda. This is one of the issues that led to the countries’ falling out.
The Rwanda leader first met President Museveni’s special envoy who is also Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, on January 18. The envoy delivered a special message from the Ugandan leader to President Kagame.
Four days later, President Kagame received Uganda’s first son and UPDF Commander Land Forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, at Urugwiro in Kigali all aimed at reviving bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, Kandiho’s replacement has been announced in a statement released by UPDF spokesperson Ronald Kakurungu reading thus;
“The President of the Republic of Uganda and Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces has made the following appointments:
1. Maj Gen Abel Kandiho is appointed Head of South Sudan Security Monitoring Mechanism.
2. Maj Gen James Birungi is appointed Chief of Military Intelligence.
This is one of the routine transfers and reassignments and is in line with the prerogative of the Commander-In-Chiefto transfer, reassign and appoint officers of the UPDF in areas, where he deems them fit to serve from time to time.
We congratulate the General officers upon their new assignments and wish them the best of luck in those roles.“
