Lt Gen Andrew Gutti has been replaced by President Museveni with Brig Gen Robert Freeman Mugabe as the new chairman of the court Martial.
Gutti’s term expired on the 9th of June and he’s set to retire from the force at the end of this year. Mugabe will now head the Makindye based court.
He was promoted from Brigadier to Colonel in April 2021. Mugabe is currently the Adjutant General at UPDF forces headquarters in Bombo where he has been since 2020.
Before his appointment to the Adjuntant General, he served as the Air Defense Division Administrative Officer and Division Operations & Training Officer in the same Unit.
A report signed by Museveni saw 4 members that worked under Gutti retained while 24 other new ones were appointed. The other members are; Col Joseph Ecelare Okalebo, Lt Col Sam Ntungura, Maj Angella Catherine Laker, Capt Lucy Nicole Etoroi, Capt Abdu Basajjabala, and Warrant Officer One, Oyar Boris Mark.
According to the Daily Monitor those on reserve are: “Brigr Gen Ronald Solomon Bigirwa, Col Benard Tumwesigyire, Col David Emmanuel Muhanguzi, Col David Ociti Kidega, Lt Col Patrick Matovu, Lt Col Sebastian Bossa, Lt Col David Baguma, Maj Stephen Etumidde, Maj Cyprian Sande Magezi, Maj Jubilee Omax Denis, Capt Grace Mbabazi, Capt Christine Sayuni and Warrant Officer One Robert Nyarare.”
“Those maintained from the old team include; Col John Bizimana, who returns as the Secretary/Registrar to the Court, while Lt Col Raphael Mugisha and Capt Ambrose Guma have been maintained as Prosecutors and Maj Silas Kamanda Mutungi as Defence Counsel. Also maintained in his position is Col Richard Tukacungurwa as the Judge Advocate.”
Further, a source reported that “The president and Commander in Chief of the UPDF approved and duly signed the appointment and convening orders of the new court-martial members and its reserves and the message was recorded in our military messages yesterday Tuesday 12, July 2022.”
It’s not clear as to when this new team will assume their offices. These will have a lot of cases to handle before them as works had stalled for a month. They will however need to hand over their old offices before they acquire the new ones.
“It is also the first time that the President has dropped more than 50 per cent of the old members of the court and replaced them with new ones,” the Daily Monitor further wrote.
