Ugandan authorities have arrested former deputy military chief Peter Elwelu over allegations that he was plotting to destabilize parts of the country, the military announced.
Col. Chris Magezi, the military spokesperson, stated that the three-star general—who served as the deputy chief of defense forces from 2021 to 2024—was taken into custody on Monday after being “on the run over involvement in subversive activities and plans to destabilize” his home region in remote eastern Uganda. According to Magezi, security forces recently recovered 15 firearms, military fatigues, and two pickup trucks in Elwelu’s possession.
Elwelu has been detained by military authorities at an undisclosed location and could not be reached for comment. While the government has yet to substantiate the allegations against him, his wife maintained his innocence to local media, as reported by the BBC.
Prior to the arrest, Ugandan military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba accused Elwelu of engaging in treacherous activities following his retirement from active duty last year, stating that he had ordered search teams to capture him alive. According to the BBC, Kainerugaba announced last week that he had stripped Elwelu of his lieutenant general rank and subsequently revealed on X the arrest of 20 former soldiers linked to him.
Elwelu, a former commander of land forces, previously clashed with Kainerugaba over military operations, prompting an intervention and urgent meeting mediated by President Yoweri Museveni.
Kainerugaba, who is President Museveni’s son and widely viewed as his prospective successor, launched a presidential bid for the 2031 general elections just months after Museveni was sworn in this May for a seventh consecutive term. East Africa’s Uganda has never experienced a peaceful transfer of power.
