KAMPALA — Maj Gen Joseph Musoke Ssemwanga has been appointed General Officer Commanding the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Reserve Forces, in the most significant change announced in a reshuffle of the military’s senior command structure.
The appointment, announced Saturday by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, takes immediate effect and comes days before the retirement of Lt Gen Charles Otema Awany, who has been commanding the Reserve Forces.
Ssemwanga moves to the Reserve Forces from his position as Deputy Commander of the Land Forces, a position he had assumed in December 2025 after the death of Maj Gen Francis Takirwa.
His latest appointment places him at the helm of the UPDF’s Reserve Forces as the army prepares for the retirement of a number of senior officers, including Lt Gen Otema Awany.
The Reserve Forces form an important component of the UPDF’s mobilisation and national defence structure, providing capacity for the force to expand its manpower when required.
Busizoori takes Ssemwanga’s Land Forces position
Ssemwanga’s departure from the Land Forces has triggered further changes in the command hierarchy.
Maj Gen Felix Busizoori, formerly Commander of the 4 Infantry Division, has been appointed Deputy Commander of the Land Forces, taking over from Ssemwanga.
Busizoori’s appointment places him in the second-highest command position within the Land Forces.
The reshuffle also affects the commands of the 3 and 4 Infantry Divisions.
Maj Gen Wilberforce Sserunkuma, previously Commander of the 3 Infantry Division, has been transferred to command the 4 Infantry Division.
Meanwhile, Brig Gen Michael Hyeroba, who was Deputy Commander of the 1 Infantry Division, has been appointed Commander of the 3 Infantry Division.
Col Chris Magezi, Acting Director of Defence Public Information, said the transfers and appointments take immediate effect.
The changes come as the UPDF prepares for the formal retirement of 19 General Officers on August 20, 2026, at State House Entebbe, where President and Commander-in-Chief Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is expected to preside.
The retirement exercise is expected to mark the departure of several long-serving senior commanders and represents a significant transition in the UPDF’s senior leadership structure.
