The Uganda People’s Defence Force is mourning the death of their Deputy Commander Brig Gen Stephen Kiggundu.
According to Brigadier Felix Kulayigye, the spokesperson for the UPDF, Brigadier General Kiggundu passed away on Easter Sunday while in his bathroom at his residence in Entebbe.
“Brigadier General Kiggundu was in good health throughout the day until the evening when he tragically passed away in his bathroom,” Kulayigye stated briefly, without elaborating further.
The last public appearance of Gen Kiggundu was noted the previous week in Gulu during the official handover of office from Gen Wilson Mbadi to Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who assumed the role of the new Chief of Defence Forces in the UPDF.
Gen Kiggundu held the distinction of being the first pilot to operate Uganda’s jet fighters and the Sukhoi Su-30 owned by the UPDF. His career trajectory saw him rise from the position of commander of the Soroti Air Force wing to the esteemed position of deputy air force commander in 2022.
Tragically, Gen Kiggundu’s passing marks the second incident within the UPDF where a senior officer has died due to a fall in the bathroom. In 2020, Brigadier General Victor Twesigye, then serving as the UPDF liaison officer at the East African Community headquarters in Arusha, met a similar fate.
Brigadier Twesigye suffered a fall in the bathroom of his residence in Nyarushanje, Rukungiri district, resulting in his untimely demise.
