The dramatic fallout between Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu took a dangerous turn on Tuesday after the Uganda People’s Defence Forces reportedly raided one of Elwelu’s homes in Teso and recovered a cache of firearms and ammunition. The development came hours after Gen Muhoozi announced that Elwelu, the former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, had been stripped of his military ranks and reduced to the rank of private — the lowest rank in the UPDF.
In an afternoon post on X, Gen Muhoozi said Special Forces carried out an operation at one of Elwelu’s homes in Teso, where they allegedly recovered several weapons, including AK-47 rifles, sub-machine guns and ammunition. The CDF further claimed that Elwelu was not at the home when the security operation was conducted and issued him what amounted to an ultimatum: surrender to the UPDF or face 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 has hours to surrender before we declare him a rebel and deal with him accordingly,” Gen Muhoozi posted. The allegations, if independently established, would represent a major escalation in what had already become one of the most extraordinary public confrontations involving senior UPDF officers in recent years.
It would also transform the controversy surrounding Elwelu from an internal military dispute into a national security matter, particularly because the CDF is now publicly alleging that a former senior commander was stockpiling military-style weapons outside authorised military structures. Neither Elwelu nor his lawyers had, by press time, publicly responded to the allegations concerning the weapons recovery.
From General to Private
The weapons raid followed Gen Muhoozi’s morning announcement that he had stripped Elwelu of his military ranks. “The traitor Peter Elwelu is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is demoted to Private,” Gen Muhoozi said in a post reported by The Investigator. The CDF also disclosed that more than 20 former soldiers linked to Elwelu had been arrested and were cooperating with authorities.
“We have arrested over 20 of Elwelu’s former soldiers. They are co-operating well,” Gen Muhoozi said, without providing details of the identities of those arrested or the specific offences being investigated. The arrests, combined with the alleged discovery of firearms at Elwelu’s home, have significantly raised the stakes.
What had initially appeared to be a bitter confrontation between former military colleagues has now acquired the language of rebellion, with the serving head of the UPDF publicly warning a former army commander that he could be treated as an enemy of the state.
The CDF’s threat to declare Elwelu a rebel is particularly significant because Elwelu is not an ordinary retired soldier. He spent decades within the military establishment and rose through the ranks to become one of the most powerful commanders in the country. The location of the alleged weapons recovery is also likely to attract attention.
Gen Muhoozi specifically referred to one of Elwelu’s homes in Teso, the region where the retired general has longstanding roots. The UPDF has historically maintained a strong security presence in eastern and northeastern Uganda, regions that experienced prolonged armed insurgencies and cattle-raiding conflicts. Teso itself has a history of illegal firearms circulating among communities, particularly weapons left behind from years of insurgency and insecurity.
A 2020 report from Teso noted that residents had continued to surrender illegal firearms acquired during rebel activities and cattle-rustling periods. Security officials at the time said only a small number of such weapons had been voluntarily surrendered across the sub-region.
But the alleged recovery from a former senior army commander’s home would be an entirely different matter. For a man who previously commanded major military formations, the possession or storage of firearms would raise questions about their source, ownership, authorisation and intended use. Those questions will likely become central to whatever investigation follows.
Special Forces Operation
Gen Muhoozi’s statement suggests that the operation was not an ordinary police search. He said the raid was conducted by the elite UPDF Special Forces, an elite military formation responsible for sensitive security operations.
The alleged operation also appears to have been conducted shortly after the CDF publicly announced Elwelu’s demotion, creating a dramatic sequence of events in which the military leadership first stripped the retired general of his rank and then moved against his property.
The CDF did not publicly provide details about when the raid was authorised, the exact location of the house, the number of weapons recovered or whether the firearms had been subjected to ballistic examination. He also did not identify the specific types or quantities of ammunition recovered. Instead, his statement broadly referred to “a lot of arms and ammunition”. Those details will be important if the allegations are eventually subjected to a formal criminal or military investigation.
A Former Army Powerhouse
Elwelu’s fall is striking because of how high he rose within the UPDF. He served in several senior command positions before becoming Deputy CDF, making him one of the most senior officers in the Ugandan military. His military career included command responsibility during some of Uganda’s most controversial security operations. He became particularly prominent following the 2016 confrontation in Kasese involving security forces and supporters of the Rwenzururu Kingdom.
The operation at the royal palace and surrounding areas left scores of people dead and became the subject of intense domestic and international scrutiny. Elwelu, who was then a senior commander, became closely associated with the military’s response. The United States later sanctioned Elwelu over his alleged role in human rights abuses connected to the Kasese operation. Daily Monitor reported on Tuesday that the US sanctions related to the 2016 Kasese killings, which left more than 100 people dead.
Yet despite the controversy, Elwelu remained an important figure in the UPDF establishment and eventually rose to the position of Deputy CDF. His latest confrontation with the military leadership therefore represents a dramatic reversal of fortunes.
Muhoozi-Elwelu Fallout
The relationship between Gen Muhoozi and Elwelu had increasingly become strained, with public exchanges suggesting a deepening disagreement within the military establishment. The latest events indicate that the dispute has moved far beyond differences over military policy, command or personalities. The language being used by the CDF is now openly accusatory. Muhoozi has referred to Elwelu as a “traitor” and alleged that he had been gathering former soldiers around him.
The allegation that former soldiers linked to Elwelu have been arrested further suggests that authorities are investigating whether there was an organised network around the retired commander. The CDF’s public references to Elwelu as potentially becoming a “rebel” are therefore significant. A rebel designation would fundamentally alter the legal and security implications of the case. It would suggest that the government considers the retired general to be engaged in activities threatening the state rather than merely being involved in an internal disciplinary dispute.
Social Media Erupts
The allegations immediately triggered debate on social media, with Ugandans questioning what Elwelu’s demotion and the alleged weapons discovery mean for the country’s security. Kasambya MP Daudi Kabanda asked whether the former general had now become a fugitive. “Is Private Elweru a fugitive now?” Kabanda posted.
Another user, Jayson Bamugera, described the situation as the transformation of a once trusted military officer into a possible rebel leader. “Once a trusted member of his institution, Private Elweru is now fading into history unnoticed,” Bamugera wrote.
Questions Over Due Process
Despite the seriousness of the claims, the allegations surrounding the weapons recovery will require evidence and due process. The public currently has Gen Muhoozi’s account of the raid, but details such as the inventory of recovered weapons, their serial numbers, photographs, ballistic examinations, ownership records and the legal authority under which they were allegedly held have not been publicly disclosed.
There is also no public response from Elwelu explaining whether the weapons belonged to him, whether they were authorised military stores or whether he knew they were at the residence. These questions are critical because the discovery of weapons at a person’s property does not, by itself, establish who owned them or who had control over them. The UPDF will therefore face pressure to explain the circumstances surrounding the operation and what happens next.
A Dangerous New Phase
For Elwelu, the latest developments represent the most serious chapter yet in his confrontation with the military leadership. Within hours, he went from being a retired lieutenant general and former Deputy CDF to a private, and then became the subject of a public warning that he could be declared a rebel. The alleged discovery of AK-47s, sub-machine guns and ammunition at one of his homes has added an explosive new dimension to the dispute. The central question now is not simply why Elwelu was demoted.
It is why the UPDF says a former senior commander had weapons stored at his home, where the weapons came from, who had access to them and what authorities believe they were intended for. The answers could determine whether the Elwelu affair remains an extraordinary internal military showdown or develops into a full-scale national security case.
For now, Gen Muhoozi has given the retired general a stark choice: surrender or face being treated as a rebel. And with the alleged weapons recovery, Uganda’s military establishment has entered a new and potentially dangerous phase of the Elwelu saga.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
Latest entries
FeaturedOctober 27, 2026SAD AS RUSSIA WAR CLAIMS 11 UGANDAN LIVES: A Diplomatic Letter Reveals the Fate of Ugandans Unwillingly Recruited into the Russian Military, With Another 16 Missing And Five Still Serving! Families Struggle to Trace Their Loved Ones
FeaturedOctober 27, 2026INTO WHY MK FIRED GEN. OTTO: Did The Reported Interrogation of UPDF Officers Over Elwelu Play Any Role in Otto’s Exit? The Official Statement Offers No Explanation, Leaving Questions Over The Timing
FeaturedOctober 27, 2026HOW ELWELU’S HOME RAID UNEARTHED A CACHE OF GUNS: Gen. Muhoozi Says Special Forces Recovered AK-47s, Sub-Machine Guns And Ammunition From The Retired General’s Home In Teso, Escalating Their Bitter Fallout
FeaturedOctober 27, 2026GEN. MK `STRIPS` ELWELU OF RANK! THE FALL OF A FORMER ARMY CHIEF: CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba `Strips` Retired Lt. Gen Peter Elwelu of His Ranks and Brands Him a “Traitor” as More Than 20 of His Former Soldiers Are Arrested
