DNK International By Our Reporter,Kampala
Retired Major General Gregory Mugisha Muntu,is one of Uganda’s most respected former military commanders.
He’s one of the candidates seeking the presidency and presenting himself as a disciplined reformer determined to restore integrity and ethical leadership in the country during the January 15 presidential election.
Muntu was born on October 7, 1958, in Kitunga Village, Ntungamo District, western Uganda.
He was raised in a politically active family during the turbulent post independence years.
The former military man, studied at Mbarara Junior School, Kitunga Primary and Kitunga High School, later joining Makerere College School and graduating from Makerere University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, where he served as a student leader.
Before joining the military, Muntu was a young intellectual and activist at Makerere.
Shortly after university, he abandoned civilian life to join Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) during the bush war of the early 1980s.
He was seriously wounded in combat but survived, going on to rise steadily through the ranks.
After the NRA took power in 1986, Muntu became one of the architects of the new national army.
He served as Head of Military Intelligence, received advanced military training abroad, and rose through the ranks to Major General.
In 1989, he was appointed Commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), a position he held until 1998.
During his tenure, he oversaw the professionalization and restructuring of the army, including the demobilization of tens of thousands of soldiers, earning a reputation for discipline and personal integrity.
Muntu retired from top military leadership in 1998 amid internal disagreements within the army’s senior command and a shift in political priorities.
He declined ministerial appointments and instead transitioned into civilian public service, serving in the Constituent Assembly and later in the East African Legislative Assembly.
His entry into competitive politics was driven by what he has described to Daily News Kenya-International as a moral obligation to build democratic institutions.
He joined the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), later becoming its party president from 2012 to 2017.
After ideological rifts, he left FDC and in 2019 founded the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), which he now leads.
Muntu is married to Julia Kakonge Muntu, and together they have two children.
His politics are defined by moderation rather than fiery populism.
ANT’s manifesto promotes a “homestead-based transformation” model, focusing on integrity, accountable leadership, social services, healthcare, education, and economic empowerment beginning at the household level.
One of his most memorable remarks captures his philosophy: Uganda’s problem is not lack of plans, but lack of values.
As the election approaches, Gen. Muntu is banking on his rare combination of military discipline and civilian reform politics to convince voters that quiet integrity, rather than spectacle, can deliver lasting national change.
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🗓️ [DNK-International@January 12,2026]
