Uganda Today: Brig. Gen. Christopher Ddamulira: Museveni’s Trusted Crime Intelligence Czar and His Controversial Foray into Kampala Ghetto Politics
By Uganda Today News Desk
KAMPALA – Brigadier General Christopher Ddamulira, Uganda’s Director of Crime Intelligence in the Uganda Police Force, continues to walk a controversial path that intersects state power, security architecture, and urban political mobilization.
Born on February 27, 1974, Ddamulira, now 51, has become a prominent figure within President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s security strategy, especially in politically sensitive environments like the Kampala ghettos. Having been picked directly from the army ranks, Ddamulira was officially appointed to lead crime intelligence in the Uganda Police Force on September 1, 2019. Since then, his role has expanded beyond conventional policing to include clandestine political mobilization and surveillance aligned with the interests of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Security Chief Turned Political Mobilizer
While Brig. Gen. Ddamulira’s public profile is anchored in law enforcement and national security, recent developments suggest a deliberate tilt towards political enforcement. One of the most widely criticized episodes in his tenure occurred during the latest chapter of President Museveni’s reelection maneuvers.
In a bold and controversial move, Ddamulira is reported to have spearheaded the recruitment of Kampala’s rowdy ghetto youth to support the President’s campaign machinery. This move coincided with Museveni’s symbolic appearance at the NRM Secretariat to pick nomination forms for his record 7th presidential run. The visibly hired gangs were seen riding on motorbikes, chanting slogans, and terrorizing unsuspecting Kampala residents under the guise of political mobilization. Eyewitness accounts and social media videos captured widespread intimidation, petty theft, and disruption to urban order—an ironic twist given Ddamulira’s mandate to uphold law and order.
Critics have described this as a blatant misuse of state intelligence for partisan goals. The involvement of a top police intelligence chief in mobilizing criminal gangs has raised alarms about Uganda’s declining line between state security and ruling party interests. According to Kyagulanyi Robert Ssentamu, President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) a female Ugandan by the names of “Nakiwolo”, succumbed to death emanating from this fracas.
A President’s Confidant from the Barracks
President Museveni’s decision to redeploy Ddamulira from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to the Uganda Police was interpreted by insiders as a show of deep trust. With nearly four decades in power, Museveni has increasingly leaned on loyal army officers to fill strategic civilian roles. Ddamulira’s integration into the police hierarchy represented a trend where military discipline and loyalty were injected into the police to suppress dissent and safeguard regime interests.
Under his stewardship, crime intelligence operations have taken a dual function—fighting criminal syndicates while closely monitoring opposition political actors. Kampala’s urban poor, especially those residing in slums like Katwe, Bwaise, Kisenyi, and Kamwokya, have found themselves the focus of both state surveillance and political manipulation.
Ddamulira’s Mixed Legacy
Ddamulira is credited with revamping crime intelligence units, modernizing surveillance operations, and streamlining counter-criminal investigations. His office has led operations that dismantled major car theft rings, tracked down violent robbers, and intercepted illicit arms networks. However, his growing association with partisan activities is eroding public confidence in the neutrality of law enforcement.
The latest ghetto mobilization incident may be a tipping point. Civil society organizations, opposition politicians, and urban youth activists have condemned the politicization of crime intelligence. “When the police director in charge of crime intelligence is the same person sponsoring goons to intimidate voters, it stops being about security and becomes about state terror,” one anonymous source from a city-based rights group said.
Conclusion
Brigadier General Christopher Ddamulira’s trajectory reflects the larger realities of Uganda’s deeply securitized political landscape. As the country braces for yet another election with President Museveni at the helm at 80 years old, Ddamulira remains a key figure in the regime’s machinery—trusted, tactical, and deeply entrenched.
But the blending of military intelligence with political enforcement raises troubling questions about Uganda’s democratic space and the impartiality of its security forces. For many, Ddamulira now symbolizes the blurred lines between state service and political survival in Museveni’s Uganda.
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