In 1971, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. That year, Colonel Idi Amin launched a coup d'état and became President of Uganda. Adrisi was Amin's uncle. Two years later he was given command of the army brigade based in Mbale. Adrisi was made army chief of staff as a concession to the increasingly disgruntled Lugbara troops who had revolted during the Arube uprising in March 1974. In 1975 Adrisi was made general and commander of the army. He was later made Minister of Defence. Adrisi also became infamous for his extreme corruption, using his positions to siphon off large amounts of government money for himself. In this way, he earned the nickname "Mr. Foreign Exchange".