With operational experience in Uganda, Somalia and South Sudan, alongside years of command within the UPDF’s specialised formations, Major General Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru brings extensive military and institutional experience to the leadership of the Special Forces Command.
Military leadership is built over time. It is shaped by operational experience, tested through command responsibilities and strengthened by an understanding of the institutions and personnel entrusted to deliver on national security objectives.
For Major General Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru, the journey to the leadership of Uganda’s Special Forces Command (SFC) has been marked by years of field operations, regional deployments and progressively senior responsibilities within the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
His career offers a picture of an officer whose military experience has developed alongside the evolution of Uganda’s specialised military formations.
A CAREER ROOTED IN OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Nyakikuru’s military journey includes participation in some of Uganda’s significant security operations.
His documented operational experience dates back to 2005, when he participated in Operation Iron Fist II, the UPDF campaign against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
In 2007, he was involved in counter-insurgency operations against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) around the River Semliki area. A year later, he participated in Operation Lightning Thunder, the UPDF’s military campaign against the LRA in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These operations exposed him to complex operational environments involving counter-insurgency, military coordination and the demands of conducting operations against armed groups.
Such assignments formed an important part of his professional development, providing experience that would later be complemented by responsibilities within specialised military formations and regional missions.
EXPERIENCE BEYOND UGANDA’S BORDERS
A significant dimension of Nyakikuru’s career is his exposure to regional security operations.
Between 2012 and 2013, he commanded a Special Forces component under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), participating in operations in the Lower Shabelle region.
The deployment placed him within a multinational military environment, where UPDF troops worked alongside other African forces in efforts to counter the Al-Shabaab insurgency and support stability in Somalia.
His regional operational experience extended to South Sudan in December 2013, following the outbreak of civil war in the country.
Under Operation Kalongero, he commanded a Special Forces component deployed to support the protection and evacuation of Ugandan citizens while securing strategic locations.
His unit participated in operations in Bor Town and efforts to facilitate the safe passage of Ugandans caught up in the conflict.
The two deployments exposed him to different dimensions of regional security, including multinational military cooperation, civilian protection and the challenges associated with commanding specialised forces in volatile environments.
A COMMANDER FAMILIAR WITH THE SPECIAL FORCES STRUCTURE
Beyond his battlefield experience, Nyakikuru’s career has been closely connected to the development of the Special Forces Command.
Before his elevation to the SFC’s top position, he served as Commander of the Special Forces Commando Force, overseeing Camp Rufu in Kiruhura District.
The formation houses the One Commando Battalion and specialised training facilities, placing its commander at the centre of important operational and personnel development responsibilities.
His tenure coincided with a significant period in the development of the commando formation.
In 2021, President Yoweri Museveni announced the elevation of the First Commando Battalion into a brigade, marking an expansion in its organisational structure and command capacity.
Having served within this formation, Nyakikuru gained experience in its operational structures, training environment and personnel management.
This institutional background is particularly relevant to understanding his subsequent responsibilities within the wider SFC command structure.
FROM BRIGADIER TO DEPUTY COMMANDER
Nyakikuru’s progression through the senior military ranks has been accompanied by increasingly significant leadership assignments.
In April 2024, he was promoted from Colonel to Brigadier General.
Two months later, in June 2024, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Special Forces Command, serving under Major General David Mugisha.
The appointment placed him within the SFC’s senior leadership, where his responsibilities extended beyond individual operational formations to the broader administration and professional development of the institution.
His public engagements included presiding over the decoration of 104 SFC officers promoted to various ranks in August 2024.
During the ceremony, he emphasised discipline, commitment, hard work and the responsibility that accompanies promotion.
His role in such institutional activities reflected another dimension of military leadership: developing personnel, recognising professional progression and reinforcing the standards expected within specialised forces.
ASSUMING THE TOP COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
On August 3, 2026, Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba appointed Nyakikuru Acting Commander of the Special Forces Command following the planned departure of Major General David Mugisha for strategic military studies abroad.
The appointment also saw him elevated to the acting rank of Major General.
His assumption of the position marked another stage in a career that had taken him through frontline operations, regional deployments, commando command and the SFC’s deputy leadership.
By September 2026, he was presiding over senior command activities, including the decoration of 62 officers following their promotion.
His experience within the institution provides continuity in leadership, particularly given his previous involvement in its operational and administrative structures.
THE EXPERIENCE HE BRINGS TO THE SFC
The Special Forces Command occupies a distinct position within Uganda’s national security architecture. Its responsibilities include presidential protection, safeguarding strategic installations and undertaking specialised military assignments.
These responsibilities require an institution built around preparedness, discipline, specialised training and effective command structures.
Nyakikuru’s career brings together several areas of experience relevant to the institution’s leadership:
- Operational exposure: Participation in military operations in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan.
- Regional security experience: Command responsibilities during UPDF deployments under AMISOM and Operation Kalongero.
- Specialised military command: Previous leadership of the Special Forces Commando Force.
- Institutional knowledge: Service as SFC Deputy Commander before his elevation to the top position.
- Personnel development: Involvement in senior command activities, including the recognition and promotion of SFC officers.
Taken together, these experiences provide important context to his elevation and the responsibilities that now come with leading one of Uganda’s specialised military institutions.
A NEW CHAPTER IN HIS MILITARY CAREER
For Nyakikuru, assuming command of the Special Forces Command represents the culmination of several stages of military service and the beginning of a new chapter of responsibility.
His journey has taken him from counter-insurgency operations in the region to multinational deployments, from commanding specialised formations to serving at the highest levels of the SFC leadership structure.
He now occupies a position that requires balancing operational readiness, institutional discipline, personnel development and the strategic responsibilities of the command.
As he takes on the assignment, attention will be on how his experience translates into the continued development and effectiveness of the Special Forces Command.
His military journey, spanning more than two decades of operational and leadership responsibilities, provides a substantial record against which this new chapter of his career can be understood.
