Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has issued a fresh ultimatum to former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen. Peter Elwelu, claiming that security forces have recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from one of his homes in the Teso sub-region.
In a post on X on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Gen Muhoozi alleged that Elwelu had been stockpiling weapons at one of his residences and warned that he had only hours to surrender before the military leadership declared him 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,” Muhoozi wrote.
The latest statement escalates an extraordinary public confrontation between Uganda’s military chief and the former deputy army commander, with the dispute now involving allegations of weapons stockpiling and a threat to classify the retired senior officer as a rebel.
However, Gen Muhoozi did not specify the quantity or type of weapons allegedly recovered, identify the particular residence searched, or provide details of the operation. An independent confirmation of the alleged recovery was not immediately available.
Neither the circumstances surrounding the reported search nor Elwelu’s response to the latest allegations were established in the available reports.
From public threats to a widening security dispute
The latest ultimatum follows a series of increasingly hostile public statements by Gen Muhoozi against Elwelu, a veteran military officer who previously served as Deputy CDF and Commander of the Land Forces.
In December 2024, Gen Muhoozi publicly threatened to arrest Elwelu, referring to him in disparaging terms and questioning his suitability to serve in the military. The reasons for the hostility were not clearly established at the time.
The confrontation intensified on Tuesday after Gen Muhoozi had stripped Elwelu of his military ranks, demoting him from Lieutenant General to Private.
Gen Muhoozi also claimed that more than 20 former soldiers linked to Elwelu had been arrested and were cooperating with authorities.
The reported recovery of arms from a residence in Teso introduces a more serious dimension to the dispute, although the allegations have not been independently verified.
Elwelu’s controversial military record
Elwelu has held senior command positions during his military career. His record has also attracted international scrutiny over his role in the 2016 Kasese operation, during which security forces killed more than 100 people, according to reports. The United States imposed sanctions on him in 2017 over the killings.
Despite the seriousness of the current accusations, the public statements available so far do not establish that Elwelu has been convicted of any offence relating to the alleged weapons recovery or that a court has declared him a rebel.
Gen Muhoozi’s ultimatum now places the focus on whether Elwelu will surrender, whether the military will release further details about the alleged recovery, and whether formal charges will follow.
The key outstanding questions are the precise circumstances of the reported search, the evidence supporting the stockpiling allegations, and Elwelu’s response to the ultimatum.
