Former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Gen (Rtd) Peter Elwelu, is reportedly on the run after Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, accused him of plotting a rebellion against the State.
In a series of posts on X on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Gen Muhoozi declared that Elwelu had been stripped of his military ranks and demoted to Private, while demanding that the retired general surrender.
“The traitor Peter Elweru is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is demoted to Private,” Muhoozi posted.
The army chief subsequently announced the arrest of more than 20 former soldiers who had served under Elwelu, claiming they were cooperating with security forces.
“We have arrested over 20 of Elweru’s former soldiers. They are co-operating well. They all agree he went insane a long time ago. Elweru should SURRENDER soon in order to save his own life,” he wrote.
Muhoozi also claimed that Elwelu’s wife had been arrested, accusing her of physically abusing the former army chief for eight years.
“We have also arrested Elweru’s wife who has been beating him for the last 8 years. That’s why he always looked confused in Parliament. Domestic abuse,” he added.
The army chief did not provide details about the circumstances of the reported arrests or the legal grounds for the alleged detention of Elwelu’s wife.
In another post, Muhoozi published photographs of what he described as weapons and ammunition recovered from one of Elwelu’s homes in Teso, warning that the former commander had only hours to surrender before being declared a rebel.
“Some of the arms ‘Private Elweru’ was stockpiling at one of his homes in Teso. We have recovered a lot of arms and ammunition from his house,” he said.
“He has hours to surrender before we declare him a rebel and deal with him accordingly.”
Veteran journalist, Andrew Mwenda, a close associate of Muhoozi and spokesperson for the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), also accused Elwelu of concealing alleged plans for rebellion behind Christian fundamentalism.
“Private Elwelu had been hiding behind Christian fundamentalism to disguise his plans for a rebellion against the state. Now he is on the run, and Christ won’t protect him from his plots to violently destabilize Uganda,” Mwenda wrote.
The allegations of rebellion and weapons stockpiling had not been independently verified by the time of publication. Elwelu had not publicly responded to the claims.
Elwelu was among the most senior officers in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), having served as Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, the military’s second-highest command position.
He joined the military in 1987 and rose through the ranks over nearly four decades of service. His career included command responsibilities in northern Uganda, Somalia and several UPDF formations.
Before becoming Deputy CDF, Elwelu served as Commander of the Land Forces, having previously commanded the UPDF Second Division based in Mbarara.
President Yoweri Museveni appointed him Deputy Chief of Defence Forces in June 2021. He served in the position until March 2024, when he was replaced by Lt Gen Sam Okiding following Muhoozi’s appointment as CDF.
In July 2024, Museveni appointed Elwelu to monitor government activities in the Teso and Karamoja sub-regions. He subsequently proceeded through the military retirement process, with his retirement scheduled for 2025.
His retirement came after a long military career that included some of Uganda’s most controversial security operations.
Elwelu and the 2016 Kasese Killings
Elwelu remains a controversial figure because of his role in the November 2016 military assault on the palace of the Rwenzururu Kingdom in Kasese District.
At the time, he commanded the UPDF Second Division and led the military operation against the royal palace of Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere.
The operation followed months of tension between security agencies and the Rwenzururu Kingdom authorities. Government officials said the security forces were responding to threats against national security and attacks attributed to armed royal guards.
However, the military operation resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, including royal guards, while hundreds were arrested. The scale of the violence attracted domestic and international condemnation, with questions raised about the conduct of security forces and the use of lethal force.
Elwelu defended the operation, maintaining that the military had acted within its mandate to restore security.
In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on Elwelu over his alleged involvement in gross violations of human rights connected to the Kasese operation. The designation brought renewed international scrutiny to the retired general’s military record.
His role in the Kasese killings has remained a major point of controversy in discussions about military accountability and the use of force in Uganda.