The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has appointed Brigadier Paul Muwonge as the new commander of the UPDF Mountain Infantry Division, headquartered in Fort Portal.
Muwonge replaces Maj Gen James Birungi, who has been posted to Bujumbura, Burundi, as Uganda’s Defence Attaché.
The appointment was confirmed in a statement issued Wednesday by Colonel Chris Magezi, the Military Assistant to the CDF.
Until this appointment, Muwonge served as deputy commander of the same division and recently accompanied Gen Muhoozi on a working trip to Kinshasa, DRC.
With this new role, Brigadier Muwonge also assumes leadership of Operation Shujaa, the joint UPDF-FARDC mission targeting Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants in eastern DRC.
Maj Gen Birungi had briefly commanded the Mountain Division after switching roles with Maj Gen Richard Otto in April, following his tenure as Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS). His successor in Burundi, Brigadier Simon Ochan, has completed his tour and returns to the UPDF Joint Services Headquarters for redeployment.
