Speaker blocks debate on detained UPDF generals

What the report says

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth-Oboth has stopped MPs from debating the detention of two retired UPDF senior officers, saying military matters are not normally handled in open plenary. The ruling came on Tuesday after chief opposition whip Paul Mwiru raised constitutional concerns and told the House that Maj Gen (Rtd) Abel Kandiho and Brig Gen (Rtd) Charles Bakahumura were being held incommunicado at a location he said was not authorised.

According to The Observer, Oboth-Oboth said the Defence minister could be brought in to address questions raised by the officers’ families, but insisted that UPDF personnel fall under a separate legal framework. Internal Affairs minister Ephraim Kamuntu said he would make a statement on the arrests if parliamentary business allowed the next day.

The article says Kandiho and Bakahumura previously led the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, later reorganised into the Defence Intelligence and Security directorate. Both were among 19 generals retired in August 2026, and were detained in early September during a wider military inquiry linked to alleged false intelligence reporting and related offences. The report also notes that the case has drawn attention to the balance between military discipline and constitutional protections for personal liberty, including the right to be informed of arrest and brought before court within 48 hours in ordinary cases.