Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed Brig Gen Richard Tukachungurwa as the new Head of the General Court Martial (GCM), reconstituting the military court at a time when the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling against trying civilians in military courts remains largely unenforced.
The appointment is contained in a November 25, 2025 letter addressed to Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in which the President restructured the General Court Martial and Division Court Martials in line with Sections 192, 193 and 195 of the UPDF Act, acting on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.
“In accordance with Section 192, 193 and 195 of the UPDF Act as amended and acting on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, I have appointed persons below as Head and members of the General Court Martial and Chairperson of Division and Unit Court Martials respectively,” President Museveni wrote in the communique.
Brig Gen Tukachungurwa replaces Brig Gen Robert Freeman Mugabe, who was appointed in May 2024 and served one term. He will lead a 10-member panel that includes senior UPDF officers Col Wankandya Simon Tusah, Col Asha Patra, Col Kangwamu Fredrick, Col Mugisha Raphael, Lt Col Igambi Mohammedie Nasser, Maj Amodoi Samuel Moses, Maj Arihaihi Emmanuel, Maj Nyombi Abubaker and Maj Denis Chemtai.
The President also appointed Lt Col Drani Epalu David of the Fourth Division and Lt Col Mulyanti Yaqoub Hassan of the One Special Forces Group as chairpersons of the Division Court Martials.
The reconstitution comes ten months after the Supreme Court’s January 31, 2025 ruling that military courts have no constitutional mandate to try civilians.
The landmark Court ruling ordered all civilian-related case files to be transferred to the Director of Public Prosecutions within 14 days. While a handful of cases—including those of Dr Kizza Besigye and Sheikh Obeid Lutale—were forwarded, many civilian files remain stuck in the military court system.
Government’s plan to comply shifted in May when Parliament passed the UPDF (Amendment) Bill, 2025, restoring military courts’ power to try civilians under “exceptional circumstances” such as possession of military weapons or aiding soldiers in serious crimes. The President would later assent to the law on June 16, creating a formal tiered military court structure and establishing an appeal route up to the civilian Court of Appeal.
Opposition parties, including the National Unity Platform, have since petitioned the Constitutional Court, arguing that the new law contradicts the Supreme Court ruling and entrenches the prosecution of civilians in military courts.
Under Sections 197, 198 and 202 of the UPDF Act, the High Command—chaired by the President—retains the authority to appoint members and reserve members of the General Court Martial. The freshly reconstituted panel is expected to begin work immediately.
(daily express)