By Infora Media
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been awarded the Kabalega Star, the second-highest military honor in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), in recognition of distinguished service and gallantry.
The decoration was conferred by President Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, during the 45th Tarehe Sita celebrations held in Kabale District.
The Kabalega Star is second only to the Order of Katonga, Uganda’s highest military honour, and is awarded to officers who demonstrate exceptional bravery and distinguished service.
According to the official citation, Gen Muhoozi was recognized for his role in major UPDF operations, including counter-insurgency campaigns against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda and regional deployments in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Somalia operations
Gen Muhoozi previously commanded UPDF operations against Al-Shabaab in Somalia until 2022. As head of the Special Forces Command (SFC), he oversaw the deployment of elite commandos to counter the militant group’s urban warfare tactics in Mogadishu.
The introduction of SFC snipers proved pivotal in turning the tide of battle. Al-Shabaab had entrenched itself in high-rise buildings and narrow streets, forcing UPDF troops into close-quarters combat.
The late Gen Paul Lokech, then a UPDF contingent commander in Somalia, previously said Al-Shabaab had transformed Mogadishu into a complex battlefield that required street-by-street and house-to-house fighting. The deployment of snipers helped secure strategic buildings and neutralize enemy snipers, some of them foreign fighters.
The tactical shift enabled UPDF forces to move from defensive positions to gaining control of critical neighbourhoods in Mogadishu and surrounding areas.
Regional deployments
In 2013, UPDF troops, including SFC commandos, were deployed to South Sudan following the outbreak of civil conflict, helping stabilize the situation as forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar threatened President Salva Kiir’s government.
Gen Muhoozi has also commanded operations in eastern DRC under Operation Shuja, a joint Uganda–DRC offensive against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group affiliated to the Islamic State’s Central Africa Province (ISCAP) and one of the deadliest armed outfits in the region.
Military analysts say Gen Muhoozi’s leadership has been characterised by an emphasis on specialised units, intelligence-led operations and regional cooperation—elements that have shaped the UPDF’s growing role in regional security.
The award places Gen Muhoozi among a select group of senior officers recognised for exceptional service to Uganda and the wider region.