Ugandan security forces have arrested former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Peter Elwelu over allegations that he was involved in activities intended to destabilise President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
Acting military spokesperson Chris Magezi confirmed that Elwelu was arrested on Monday evening, describing the former senior military officer as a “renegade” and saying he would be presented in court to face charges.
The arrest follows days of escalating accusations against Elwelu, including claims that he was stockpiling weapons and organising activities against the government.
Last week, Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced that he had stripped Elwelu of his lieutenant general rank and demoted him to the lowest military rank of private.
Kainerugaba also ordered the retired officer to surrender, warning that anyone helping him evade arrest would face serious consequences.
“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,” Kainerugaba said.
On Monday, Magezi said security forces had recovered 15 firearms, military uniforms and two pickup trucks allegedly linked to Elwelu.
The military spokesperson further claimed that the former army commander had been evading security agencies over alleged involvement in subversive activities targeting the Teso region.
“Elwelu has been on the run over involvement in subversive activities and plans to destabilize Teso,” Magezi said.
Kainerugaba had earlier claimed that 20 former soldiers suspected of having links to Elwelu had also been arrested as part of the security operation.
However, Elwelu’s family has dismissed the accusations, maintaining that the former military commander has no intention of engaging in rebellion against the government.
His wife, Patricia Apolot, defended him in comments to local media, describing him as a patriot committed to peace and stability in Uganda.
“He loves Uganda, and his dream is to have a peaceful country,” Apolot said.
Elwelu, a former senior commander in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), rose to national prominence in 2016 when he commanded a military operation against the palace of the Rwenzururu kingdom’s cultural leader, Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere.
The operation, which targeted the palace amid allegations of separatist activities, left dozens of people dead and attracted widespread condemnation.
Elwelu was subsequently appointed army chief before rising to become deputy chief of defence forces. He later served as a presidential adviser.
In May 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on him over alleged human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings attributed to Ugandan government forces.
He retired from the military in August 2025.
His arrest now places one of Uganda’s most prominent former military commanders at the centre of serious allegations of activities against the state, although his family maintains that he is innocent.
