Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has claimed that former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen Peter Elwelu has been stripped of his military ranks and demoted to Private, while more than 20 former soldiers linked to the retired commander have been arrested.
In posts published on his official X account, Muhoozi described Elwelu as a traitor, announced the alleged demotion and called on him to surrender, without providing details of the alleged offences or identifying the soldiers reportedly in custody.
“The traitor Peter Elwelu is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is demoted to Private,”Muhoozi wrote.
The army chief also claimed that security authorities had arrested more than 20 former soldiers who had previously served under Elwelu, saying they were cooperating with investigators.
“We have arrested over 20 of Elwelu’s former soldiers. They are co-operating well. They all agree he went insane a long time ago. Elwelu should surrender soon in order to save his own life,” Muhoozi posted.
He did not specify where the arrests were made, the identities of the detained individuals or the offences they are suspected of committing. The claims had not been independently verified, and no formal military announcement confirming the arrests or the alleged change in Elwelu’s rank was cited in the report.
Muhoozi also made a separate allegation concerning Elwelu’s wife, claiming that she had been arrested over alleged domestic abuse.
“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.
The post did not provide further details about the alleged arrest or the circumstances surrounding the accusation. The allegation had not been independently verified.
The reported demotion has also raised questions about the military procedure required to change the substantive rank of a senior commissioned officer.
Under the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces legal framework, the reduction of an officer’s rank is subject to prescribed military procedures and safeguards. A social media announcement alone does not establish that a formal demotion has been legally effected.
Elwelu, who previously served as deputy to former Chief of Defence Forces Gen Wilson Mbadi, was removed from the army’s top leadership in March 2024. He was subsequently appointed a Senior Presidential Adviser and continued serving as an army representative in Parliament before being included among officers scheduled for retirement in 2025.
His relationship with Muhoozi had previously attracted public attention. In December 2024, the current army chief publicly attacked Elwelu on X and threatened to arrest him, although he did not provide a detailed explanation for the dispute at the time.
Elwelu also attracted international attention over his role in the November 2016 military operation at the Rwenzururu royal palace in Kasese, when he commanded troops involved in the operation.
The raid left more than 100 people dead, according to reports, and led to the arrest of Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere and several of his subjects. The United States later imposed sanctions on Elwelu over human rights-related allegations linked to the operation.
