KAMPALA, Uganda: The former commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), Maj Gen Don William Nabasa, is now a free man after the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced Thursday that all charges that led to his detention have been formally dropped.
In a statement posted Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, Gen Muhoozi said the decision followed a lengthy meeting with the senior military officer.
“I’m glad to announce, after a long meeting with Maj. General Don Nabasa, today I have decided to release him and drop all the charges he was facing. I thank him for the good work he has done in our mighty military since he joined in 1998. God bless UPDF!” Muhoozi posted.
Maj Gen Nabasa was arrested in March this year alongside Brig Gen Johnson Namanya Abaho during an internal military crackdown reportedly linked to alleged corruption and misconduct investigations within the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
The arrests were reportedly ordered directly by Gen Muhoozi and implemented by the military leadership under the Chief Inspector of the Armed Forces. The two officers were detained at the Special Forces Command facility in Kasenyi along Entebbe Road.
At the time of his arrest, Nabasa was serving as Joint Staff for Policy and Strategy in the UPDF, a role he had assumed after several high-profile military deployments.
The senior general is widely known for previously commanding the elite Special Forces Command, where he replaced Gen Muhoozi in 2017 before later handing over command to Maj Gen James Birungi.
Nabasa also previously served as commander of the UPDF Military Police and led Ugandan troops under the African Union mission in Somalia.
His release comes weeks after Brig Gen Johnson Namanya was similarly freed following what the UPDF described as an “amicable and friendly meeting” with the CDF that cleared him of all allegations.
Although the military has never publicly disclosed the exact charges against Nabasa and Namanya, the arrests had triggered widespread speculation within military and political circles about an internal anti-corruption purge and restructuring under Gen Muhoozi’s leadership.
Since becoming CDF in March 2024, Muhoozi has overseen several internal military reorganizations, disciplinary operations and command changes aimed at strengthening accountability and operational control within the UPDF.
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