KAMPALA — Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has appointed Brig. Gen. Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru as the acting Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), replacing Maj. Gen. David Mugisha, who is set to attend a National Defence College course abroad.
The appointment, which takes immediate effect, was announced on Monday by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
As part of the changes, Brig. Gen. Nyakikuru has also been granted the acting rank of Major General, reflecting his new responsibilities at the helm of the elite unit tasked with protecting the President, key national installations and undertaking specialized military operations.
In a statement issued by the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Col. Chris Magezi, the UPDF said Maj. Gen. Mugisha will be preparing to leave the country in the coming months to undertake strategic security studies at a National Defence College abroad.
“The Chief of Defence Forces UPDF and Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations (SPA/SO), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has appointed Brig. Gen. Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru the acting Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC). Brig. Gen. Nyakikuru is also granted the acting rank of Major General. The appointment and promotion take immediate effect,” the statement said.
The military thanked Maj. Gen. Mugisha for his service during his tenure as SFC commander and wished him success in his studies.
“The UPDF thanks Major General David Mugisha for the outstanding tour of duty as Commander SFC and wishes him good luck in his strategic security studies. We also congratulate Acting Major General Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru on his deserved appointment and promotion,” the statement added.
Before his latest appointment, Nyakikuru served as Deputy Commander of the Special Forces Command and previously commanded the SFC’s Commando Brigade.
During his military career, he has participated in several operations within Uganda and beyond its borders, including missions against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo under Operation Shujaa, counter-terrorism deployments in Somalia under the African Union peace support mission, and operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda.
His appointment comes as the UPDF continues to rotate senior officers through command, training and strategic education assignments as part of its leadership development programme.
The Special Forces Command is one of the UPDF’s most elite formations, responsible for presidential protection, safeguarding strategic national assets, conducting special operations and responding to high-risk security threats.
Nyakikuru now assumes leadership of the unit at a time when Uganda’s military remains engaged in regional security operations, including the fight against the ADF in eastern DR Congo and contributions to peace support missions in Somalia.
