Retired General Peter Elwelu arrested over alleged plot to destabilise Uganda

Retired General Peter Elwelu arrested over alleged plot to destabilise Uganda

According to Magezi, security forces had recently recovered 15 guns, military fatigues and two pickup trucks allegedly in Elwelu's possession.

Uganda's security forces have arrested retired Lieutenant General Peter Elwelu after Defence Chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba accused him of accumulating weapons and plotting activities to destabilise the country.

Military spokesman Colonel Chris Magezi announced the development on Monday evening, noting that  Elwelu had been arrested in Soroti City, eastern Uganda, over alleged involvement in activities targeting the Teso region.

"Renegade UPDF Officer Peter Elwelu has this evening been arrested by the security forces in Soroti City," Magezi said.

According to Magezi, security forces had recently recovered 15 guns, military fatigues and two pickup trucks allegedly in Elwelu's possession.

"He will be charged and prosecuted in the courts of law accordingly," Magezi said.

The arrest followed a series of public accusations by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who had given Elwelu an ultimatum to surrender after alleging that he was accumulating weapons and organising activities against the government.

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On October 27, Kainerugaba announced that he had stripped Elwelu of his military ranks and reduced him to a private, describing the retired commander as a traitor.

"The traitor Peter Elweru is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is demoted to Private," Kainerugaba wrote on X.

He also claimed that more than 20 former soldiers who had served under Elwelu had been arrested, before announcing that security forces had recovered weapons and ammunition from one of the former commander's homes in Teso.

"We have recovered a lot of arms and ammunition from his house. He has hours to surrender before we declare him a rebel and deal with him accordingly," Kainerugaba said.

Two days later, Kainerugaba announced further seizures of weapons and ammunition allegedly hidden at different locations. He also said Elwelu's driver had been arrested and a vehicle used by the former commander seized.

Further, the defence chief warned that anyone helping Elwelu evade arrest would face serious consequences, as the military operation against the former commander continued.

Elwelu retired in August 2025 after serving as Commander of the Land Forces and Deputy Chief of Defence Forces. His military career included leading the November 2016 operation against the Rwenzururu Kingdom in Kasese, western Uganda, when security forces raided the palace of King Charles Wesley Mumbere. Dozens of people died during the operation.

In May 2024, the United States sanctioned Elwelu over alleged human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings attributed to government forces.