Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde has been nominated for deputy speaker job, as the race for the second most important person in the administration parliament gets more crowded.
Lt Gen (Rtd) Henry Tumukunde won the Rukungiri Municipality MP seat in January 2026 parliamentary elections is riding on the victory to run for the deputy speakership of the 12th parliament.Â
When Tumukunde turned up to express interest in the job, Electoral commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi, acknowledged he was a heavy weight in politics and liberation struggle of the National Resistance Armu (NRA).
“This is a very big fish. After liberating Uganda he wants to be in our ocean,” Tanga Odoi said of Tumukunde.Â
Lt Gen Tumukunde said he was certain of his qualification and ability to steer the 12th parliament.
“I have checked myself. I’m not only qualified but able, and seasoned enough to run this business without any difficulty,” he said.Â
LT GEN HENRY TUMUKUNDE PROFILE
Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde is one of Uganda’s most prominent military officers turned politicians, with a career spanning the bush war, intelligence leadership, Parliament, and Cabinet.
Born in Rukungiri District in 1959, Tumukunde studied law at Makerere University before joining the National Resistance Army (NRA) rebellion led by President Yoweri Museveni in the early 1980s. During the guerrilla war, he served as a machine gunner and later rose through the rebel ranks despite suffering serious injuries in battle in Luweero.
After the NRA captured power in 1986, Tumukunde quickly became one of the influential officers in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
He served as military attaché at Uganda’s High Commission in the United Kingdom before returning to Uganda to head military planning.
He later became chief of personnel and administration, chief of military intelligence, commander of the UPDF Fourth Division in Gulu, and eventually director-general of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO).
Tumukunde also played a major role in Uganda’s political transition during the 1990s. In 1994, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly representing Rubabo County in Rukungiri District, where he participated in drafting the 1995 Constitution.
He later served as an army representative in Parliament between 1996 and 2005, building a reputation as an outspoken and influential figure within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
However, his relationship with the political establishment later became strained after he publicly opposed the removal of presidential term limits in 2003.
His criticism of constitutional changes put him at odds with sections of the government and military leadership, eventually leading to court martial proceedings and years of political isolation. Despite the fallout, he remained a respected senior officer and was later promoted to Lieutenant General before retiring from the army in 2015.
Following his retirement, Tumukunde returned to frontline politics and was appointed Minister for Security in 2016 before being dropped from Cabinet in 2018.
In 2020, he announced his presidential bid against President Museveni in the 2021 elections, presenting himself as a reform-minded leader advocating constitutionalism and political transition.
His political journey has since positioned him as one of the most notable former UPDF generals to openly challenge the long-serving Ugandan leader.
Incumbent deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa’s job hangs in balance as his senior Anita Among was thrown under the bus over corruption. Tayebwa has said he will 100% support whoever is chosen by the NRM CEC to be the NRM flagbearer for the deputy speaker job. (See Details Here and There).
Meanwhile, Tumukunde is one those rumored to be making a comeback to Museveni’s cabinet as a minister after he won a parliamentary seat. (See Details Here and There).
