The extraordinary fall of one of Uganda’s most senior military officers has taken a dramatic turn after Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced that retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu had been stripped of all his military ranks and reduced to the lowest rank in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) — Private.
In a series of social-media posts on Tuesday, Gen Muhoozi described the former deputy Chief of Defence Forces as a “traitor”, announced the arrest of more than 20 of his former soldiers and warned Elwelu to surrender. “The traitor Peter Elweru is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is demoted to Private,” Gen Muhoozi wrote.
Six hours later, the CDF escalated the allegations, saying security forces had arrested more than 20 soldiers previously associated with Elwelu. “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,” Gen Muhoozi said.
In another extraordinary claim, Gen Muhoozi said security forces had also arrested Elwelu’s wife. “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 posted.
The allegations had not, by the time of publication, been independently substantiated, and the circumstances surrounding the alleged arrests remained unclear. But the statements mark a remarkable public rupture between two generals who once occupied some of the most powerful positions in Uganda’s military hierarchy.
For Elwelu, the latest development represents the most dramatic chapter in a military career that took him from commanding troops in some of Uganda’s most controversial operations to becoming Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, before his relatively early retirement from active service.
From battlefield commander to deputy CDF
Lt Gen Elwelu built his reputation through command positions in the UPDF, particularly in operations where the military faced armed groups and violent insurgencies. He rose through the ranks to command the Second Infantry Division, one of the UPDF’s major formations. It was in this capacity that his name became internationally and nationally associated with the 2016 Kasese clashes involving the Rwenzururu Kingdom and the government.
The confrontation culminated in a military and police assault on the royal palace of King Charles Wesley Mumbere, following escalating tensions between security forces and suspected members of the royal guard. The government said armed men linked to the Rwenzururu establishment had attacked security installations and that the security forces were responding to an armed rebellion. The palace assault resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, including royal guards and other members of the community.
Elwelu, who was then commander of the Second Division, subsequently defended the military operation and the deaths that occurred during it. The Kasese operation became one of the most controversial episodes of his career.
Human rights groups and opposition politicians questioned the scale of the military response and the number of people killed, while the government maintained that the security forces had acted against an armed rebellion. The operation nevertheless cemented Elwelu’s reputation within the military as a commander prepared to take decisive action in the face of what the government considered an existential security threat.
The climb to the top
After serving in senior field command, Elwelu continued rising through the UPDF hierarchy. He eventually became Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, putting him directly below the CDF in the military chain of command. At the time, Gen David Muhoozi was CDF before he was succeeded by Gen Wilson Mbadi, with Elwelu subsequently serving as deputy.
The position placed Elwelu at the centre of military decision-making and gave him access to some of the most sensitive intelligence and operational information in the country. It was during this period, according to accounts surrounding his later fallout with Gen Muhoozi, that relations between the two officers began to deteriorate.
The alleged coup intelligence
At the centre of the reported disagreement was intelligence that Elwelu allegedly presented to President Yoweri Museveni concerning a suspected coup plot. According to the account circulating around the circumstances of his fallout with Muhoozi, Elwelu had received what he considered an intelligence brief indicating that a group of soldiers was planning to overthrow the government. As deputy CDF, he reportedly took the intelligence to President Museveni who was on a state visit to Rwanda.
The President is said to have responded by ordering Elwelu to place the army on “Class Five” standby, effectively raising the level of military preparedness because of the reported threat. The decision reportedly angered Gen Muhoozi, who at the time was serving as Commander of Land Forces.
The alleged disagreement was significant because Muhoozi, as commander of the land forces, controlled the largest component of the UPDF while Elwelu, as deputy CDF, was part of the senior command structure directly below the military chief.
The precise details of what happened between the two generals have never been publicly established in a comprehensive account. But within military and political circles, the incident has been cited as an important turning point in the relationship between the two men.
A friendship turned bitter
The alleged Class Five incident reportedly deepened the bad blood between Elwelu and Muhoozi. The two officers represented different generations within the UPDF, but both had risen to influential positions. Muhoozi, the President’s son, had by then become one of the most powerful officers in the military, first through command of elite formations before taking over as Commander Land Forces and eventually becoming CDF.
Elwelu, meanwhile, had spent decades building his career through conventional military command. The reported disagreement over the coup intelligence therefore carried more than personal significance. It touched the delicate question of who controlled military intelligence, how threats were assessed and who had the authority to order the army into heightened readiness.
According to accounts of the fallout, the incident contributed to the deterioration of Elwelu’s standing within the senior military command. His subsequent early retirement was interpreted by some observers as evidence that his relationship with the emerging military leadership had broken down.
Retirement and Parliament
After leaving active military service, Elwelu retired to his village to take up a new career in church ministry. He opened a church and subsequently became its pastor. Besides church ministry, Elwelu also invested his retirement package into agriculture where he keeps goats, ducks and crop husbandry. The latest attacks by the CDF have therefore transformed what had previously been an internal military disagreement into an open public confrontation.
Gen Muhoozi’s description of Elwelu as a “traitor” is particularly significant because of the former general’s previous position in the UPDF hierarchy. The announcement that he has been reduced to the rank of Private is equally extraordinary. A private is the entry-level rank in the UPDF hierarchy, meaning the announcement effectively strips Elwelu of the status accumulated through decades of military service.
Soldiers arrested
The CDF’s subsequent announcement that more than 20 former soldiers associated with Elwelu had been arrested adds another dimension to the confrontation.
Gen Muhoozi said the soldiers were cooperating with security agencies and claimed they had accused Elwelu of having “gone insane a long time ago.” The statement, however, did not specify what offence the soldiers were suspected of committing, where they were arrested or whether they had been formally charged.
It is also unclear whether the arrests are connected to the alleged coup intelligence that reportedly caused the original disagreement between Elwelu and Muhoozi or to a new security investigation. The CDF’s warning that Elwelu should surrender “to save his own life” suggests that security agencies consider the matter extremely serious. It also raises questions about whether the former general is being investigated for alleged offences and, if so, what charges could eventually be brought against him.
The wife allegation
Gen Muhoozi’s third post took the dispute into an intensely personal direction. He alleged that security forces had arrested Elwelu’s wife and claimed she had subjected the retired general to domestic abuse 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 wrote. Its publication nevertheless illustrates the extraordinary nature of the public confrontation, moving from military accusations and alleged treason to private family matters.
For a former senior military commander, the public exposure of such allegations represents a sharp departure from the traditionally guarded culture surrounding Uganda’s military leadership.
What happens next?
The immediate question is whether Elwelu will surrender, whether security forces will formally charge him and what legal basis exists for the dramatic decision to strip him of his military rank. There is also the question of who has the authority to demote a retired lieutenant general and under what military regulations such an action can be taken.
The UPDF operates within a formal hierarchy governed by military law, regulations and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act. Any substantive disciplinary action against a former senior officer would therefore be expected to follow an established process. For now, Gen Muhoozi’s social-media declarations have placed Elwelu at the centre of an extraordinary security controversy.
His career has come full circle — from a battlefield commander trusted to lead troops during some of Uganda’s most violent confrontations, to deputy CDF at the heart of the military command, to a retired general now publicly branded a traitor by the serving CDF. The alleged coup intelligence, the reported Class Five alert, the subsequent deterioration of relations with Muhoozi and Elwelu’s early retirement provide the backdrop to the latest confrontation.
Whether the current accusations are connected to those old tensions, or represent a completely new security case, remains to be established. But Gen Muhoozi’s warning has made one thing clear: the relationship between the two generals has moved far beyond a private military disagreement. It is now a public confrontation with potentially serious consequences for one of the most decorated and controversial commanders in the history of the UPDF.
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]
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