SOROTI, Uganda — Retired Lieutenant General Peter Elwelu, Uganda’s former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, has been arrested in Soroti City following days of heightened security operations in the Teso sub region over allegations of involvement in activities intended to destabilise the area.
The arrest was announced on Monday evening by UPDF Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Col. Chris Magezi, in a statement.
“Renegade UPDF General Peter Elwelu has this evening been arrested by the security forces in Soroti City,” Magezi said.
He alleged that Elwelu had been on the run over involvement in subversive activities and plans to destabilise Teso.
Magezi also said security forces had recovered 15 firearms, military uniforms and two pickup trucks allegedly linked to the retired general during operations conducted over the previous several days.
“He will be charged and prosecuted in the courts of law accordingly,” Magezi added.
The arrest follows a public standoff between Elwelu and Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who had accused the retired officer of organising activities against the government and stockpiling weapons in eastern Uganda.
On October 27, Muhoozi announced on X that he had stripped Elwelu of his military ranks and reduced him to the rank of Private. He also claimed that security forces had arrested more than 20 former soldiers associated with the retired general.
Muhoozi subsequently announced the arrest of Elwelu’s driver and the recovery of additional firearms and ammunition from different locations. He warned people against providing assistance to the former army commander.
However, the announcement that Elwelu had been demoted raised questions about the legal process involved. Under Uganda’s military justice framework, disciplinary action against commissioned officers, including demotion, is subject to established legal procedures and cannot simply be effected through a social media declaration.
Elwelu’s family has consistently rejected the allegations of rebellion.
His wife, Patricia Apolot, previously denied that her husband was involved in plans to overthrow the government. She also disputed claims that weapons had been recovered from their residence, saying Elwelu had left home for a period of prayer.
She appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to intervene, arguing that her husband had served the country and should not be judged solely on the allegations made against him.
Relatives also said the retired general had gone into hiding because he feared for his personal safety.
The arrest now brings a new phase to a security operation that has attracted considerable attention in Teso, where Elwelu comes from. Residents and local leaders have expressed concern over the military presence and the reported searches at properties associated with the former army commander.
Elwelu, born on June 12, 1966, in present day Kalaki District, joined the National Resistance Army in 1987. He rose through the military ranks over a career spanning more than three decades.
He commanded the UPDF Second Division between 2013 and 2017 before becoming Commander of Land Forces in January 2017. In June 2021, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, serving in the position until March 2024, when President Museveni appointed Gen. Muhoozi as Chief of Defence Forces and Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding as his deputy.
After leaving the military leadership, Elwelu was appointed Senior Presidential Adviser on Teso and Karamoja affairs. He retired from the UPDF in August 2025.
His military career, however, has also been marked by controversy, particularly over the November 2016 Kasese operation against the Rwenzururu Kingdom.
At the time, Elwelu commanded the UPDF Second Division, whose troops took part in operations against the kingdom’s royal guards and the subsequent raid on the palace of Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere.
The operation left more than 100 people dead. Human Rights Watch documented at least 155 deaths over the two days, including civilians and children, and called for an independent investigation into the actions of security forces.
In May 2024, the United States imposed visa restrictions on Elwelu over his involvement in extrajudicial killings committed by UPDF members under his command during the Kasese operation. The Ugandan government had not publicly announced an independent investigation into the killings at the time of the US decision.
The latest allegations against Elwelu now place the former senior military officer at the centre of another major security controversy.
Although the UPDF has announced his arrest and promised prosecution, authorities have not yet publicly disclosed the specific offences he will face, his place of detention or when he is expected to appear in court.
The allegations of rebellion and involvement in subversive activities remain subject to investigation and judicial determination. The military’s claims about the recovered weapons have also been disputed by Elwelu’s family.
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