UPDF High Command Reappoints Gen Gutti to Head Army Court

The UPDF High Command has reappointed Lt Gen Andrew Gutti to head the court martial.

According to army spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire, the highest organ of the Ugandan army has retained Lt Gen Gutti at the helm of the military court as well as the group of officers he has been serving with in this court.

“Congratulations to Lt Gen Andrew Gutii and team for being reappointed by the High Command to the UPDF General Court Martial,” read a tweet by Brig Karemire.

Lt Gen Gutti was appointed to lead the court martial on May 17, 2016 replacing the late Maj Gen Levy Karuhanga who had died in April the same year.

The court martial is responsible for determining the guilt of members of the armed forces, subject to military law. It equally determines suitable punishments to officers found guilty.

Lt Gen Gutti who has served as a military officer for over 30 years, replaced Brig (then) Henry Tumukunde as army representative in parliament in 2005 at the rank of Brigadier.

He was promoted to the rank of Maj Gen in 2008 and appointed as commandant of the Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka, a position he held until 2011.

Gen Gutti would later be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, and deployed to Mogadishu as overall commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), replacing Maj Gen Fred Mugisha.

He is highly remembered for ordering for the dismissal of four soldiers who were convicted in connection with the 2014 botched attack on Kabamba Army Barracks in Mubende District earlier this year, from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), citing gravity of the offence and prejudicing the security of the whole country.

It is anticipated that this court will be in charge of trying former Police Chief Gen Kale Kayihura and other police officers and individuals recently arrested by joint security agencies in connection with alleged espionage, murder and illegal repatriation of refugees to Rwanda.