Ugandan journalist and political commentator Andrew Mwenda has accused former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen Peter Elwelu of allegedly using Christian fundamentalism to conceal plans for a rebellion against the state, escalating the controversy surrounding the retired military officer.
In a post on X on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Mwenda claimed that Elwelu had been disguising his alleged intentions behind religious beliefs and was now on the run.
“Private Elwelu had been hiding behind Christian fundamentalism to disguise his plans for a rebellion against the state,” Mwenda wrote.
He added that Christ would not protect Elwelu from what he described as alleged plots to violently destabilise Uganda.
Mwenda’s comments come amid a rapidly escalating public confrontation between Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the former senior army officer, with allegations of treachery, arrests of former soldiers and calls for Elwelu to surrender.
However, the allegations of a planned rebellion have not been independently established in the information publicly available, and Elwelu’s response to Mwenda’s latest claims was not immediately available.
Elwelu Row: Muhoozi Says 20 Former Soldiers Arrested, Wife Detained
The latest developments have intensified scrutiny of Elwelu’s whereabouts and the nature of the allegations against him.
Gen Muhoozi announced on Tuesday that more than 20 former soldiers who served under Elwelu had been arrested and were cooperating with security agencies.
He also claimed that Elwelu’s wife had been arrested, making allegations of domestic abuse against the former general. These claims were reported by Pulse Uganda.
Muhoozi also announced that Elwelu had been stripped of his military ranks and demoted to private, although reports noted that details of the formal procedure had not been made public. The army chief urged the former general to surrender, warning that he could face danger if he did not.
A bitter history between Muhoozi and Elwelu
The confrontation is not entirely new. In December 2024, Muhoozi publicly attacked Elwelu on X and threatened to arrest him, describing him in derogatory terms and accusing him of hiding behind President Yoweri Museveni.
Elwelu was then serving as a senior presidential adviser following his removal from the army’s senior command structure.
Elwelu served as Deputy Chief of Defence Forces before his retirement process in 2025. He had previously commanded the UPDF’s Second Division and served as Commander of Land Forces.
His military career also attracted international controversy over the November 2016 operation against the Rwenzururu Kingdom in Kasese.
In May 2024, the United States imposed travel sanctions on him over alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the operation. Human Rights Watch called for investigations into the deaths and alleged abuses.
Military intelligence shake-up
The allegations have also coincided with reported changes in the UPDF’s intelligence leadership. ChimpReports reported on Tuesday that Brig Gen Oscar Munanura had been appointed Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, replacing Maj Gen Richard Otto. The report said the changes came amid allegations that Elwelu had formed a rebel group.
However, the publication noted that the military had not publicly presented evidence establishing the alleged rebellion, identified the purported organisation or disclosed where the suspected members had been arrested.
What remains unclear
Despite the increasingly serious accusations, several key questions remain unanswered: Elwelu’s current whereabouts, the specific evidence underpinning the alleged rebellion, the identities and charges of those arrested, and whether the reported military intelligence appointments have been formally confirmed.
Mwenda’s latest remarks add a political dimension to the unfolding dispute by alleging that religious fundamentalism was being used to conceal plans against the state. That remains an allegation attributed to Mwenda, rather than an independently established finding.
Neither the claims of a planned rebellion nor the accusations surrounding Elwelu’s wife should be treated as proven without supporting evidence and an opportunity for the individuals concerned to respond.
