On Tuesday, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth-Oboth directed Members of Parliament to resist debating the detention of two retired senior Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) officers. The move followed remarks by Chief Opposition Whip Paul Mwiru, who invoked Article 23 of the 1995 Constitution, citing concerns that Maj Gen (Rtd) Abel Kandiho and Brig Gen (Rtd) Charles Bakahumura were being held incommunicado in an unauthorised place.
Oboth-Oboth acknowledged that the Minister of Defence could be invited to address concerns raised by the officers' families. However, he emphasised that members of the UPDF have a different legal regime that governs them. This separate framework is established under the UPDF Act, which governs service offences, arrest, custody in service facilities, and trial by military courts.
Maj Gen (Rtd) Abel Kandiho and Brig Gen (Rtd) Charles Bakahumura previously headed the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), later restructured as Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS). Kandiho served as CMI chief from 2017, while Bakahumura held the post from 2012 to 2017 before becoming Chief of Logistics and Engineering.
Both Kandiho and Bakahumura were among 19 generals formally retired on 20 August 2026 at a ceremony at State House Entebbe. They were detained in early September 2026, less than three weeks after retirement, as part of a wider military inquiry into alleged false intelligence reporting and related offences. The probe has been linked to directives from Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
On 31 October 2026, Gen Muhoozi publicly announced the release of Brig Gen (Rtd) Bakahumura, stating that relations that had been strained would be repaired. However, the status of Maj Gen (Rtd) Kandiho was not similarly clarified in public statements at the time of the parliamentary exchange.
Minister of Internal Affairs Ephraim Kamuntu undertook to make a statement on the arrests on 4 November 2026, if the order of business permits. This provides a potential avenue for official clarification on the status of the arrests and related detentions. Civic monitors and human-rights observers have previously called for greater transparency on the location, legal basis, and duration of detentions involving both serving and retired personnel.
The Speaker's ruling maintained that the military's separate legal framework and the sensitive nature of such matters make plenary debate inappropriate, while leaving open a channel for the Defence Minister to address family concerns. Parliamentary practice in Uganda has historically treated operational military and intelligence matters with restraint in open plenary, while still allowing ministers to respond to specific questions of public concern, including the welfare of families.
Key points
- The Speaker of Parliament directed MPs to resist debating the detention of two retired senior UPDF officers.
- The detention is part of a wider military inquiry into alleged false intelligence reporting and related offences.
- The Minister of Internal Affairs plans to make a statement on the arrests on 4 November 2026.
