Although the CDF did not disclose the specific nature of the financial impropriety, sources familiar with the matter said the arrests stem from investigations into the alleged mismanagement of funds allocated for infrastructure projects handled by the Engineers Brigade.
Brig Gen Cyrus Besigye Bekunda, the Joint Staff Chief of Engineering in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF)
The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has ordered the arrest of Brig Gen Cyrus Besigye Bekunda, the Joint Staff Chief of Engineering in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), alongside other senior officers from the Engineers Brigade, over alleged corruption and financial mismanagement.
In a message posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Gen Kainerugaba accused the officers of betraying the army’s long-standing commitment to self-reliance and efficiency.
“Yesterday, I ordered the arrest of Brig Bekunda Besigye and other officers of the Engineers Brigade. They poisoned, contaminated, and desecrated a sacred principle we have always embraced as UPDF that we can be self-sufficient and efficient. They received money and misused it! Let their punishment serve as a lesson to others,” the post read.
Although the CDF did not disclose the specific nature of the financial impropriety, sources familiar with the matter said the arrests stem from investigations into the alleged mismanagement of funds allocated for infrastructure projects handled by the Engineers Brigade.
Brig Bekunda is the latest high-ranking officer to be caught up in Gen Kainerugaba’s intensified anti-corruption campaign within the army ranks.
Since taking over as CDF in 2023, Gen Kainerugaba has consistently warned against abuse of office, saying corruption undermines the UPDF’s operational effectiveness and the welfare of its personnel.
During a logistics and inventory retreat at the College of Logistics and Engineering (COLE) in Magamaga, Jinja, in February 2024, the CDF gave a stern warning to officers involved in financial mismanagement.
“Any individual or group with selfish interests whether corruption, misappropriation of resources, or mismanagement of any kind must reform immediately or leave our cherished UPDF before they are exposed,” he said.
The Engineers Brigade, a key unit within the UPDF, is responsible for executing government infrastructure projects, including road construction, barracks upgrades, and emergency response works. It is often deployed in national development programmes aimed at reducing reliance on private contractors.
Efforts to get an official comment from the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs were still ongoing by press time.
