Kabanda warns Teso leaders against politicising General Elwelu arrest

Peter Elwelu’s arrest has drawn contrasting responses from Members of Parliament Daudi Kabanda (Kasambya County) and Calvin Echodu (Soroti City West), with Kabanda warning against sectarian politics as Echodu seeks a transparent inquiry into the security allegations.

Kabanda urged Teso leaders to avoid turning the arrest into a regional grievance. He argued that other generals had faced arrest without their communities taking a similar stand.

“He is not the first general to be arrested,” Kabanda wrote, naming several former military officers to support his argument.

He accused some leaders of inciting the public and questioned whether those protesting knew more about the case. He offered no evidence to support that suggestion.

Echodu, meanwhile, said news of Elwelu’s arrest by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces had alarmed people across Teso. He said reports of a possible insurgency had deepened those fears.

The statements provided no evidence of an insurgency or details of the allegations against Elwelu.

Echodu said opinion leaders and party officials from Teso and eastern Uganda had contacted him after learning of the arrest.

He said senior leaders had begun consulting the responsible institutions to establish the facts. They had also informed President Yoweri Museveni about public concerns.

“Aware of our turbulent history,” Echodu wrote, the leaders wanted to understand the nature and scale of the matter.

He appealed for calm while those consultations continued and called for a speedy, transparent inquiry.

Echodu also urged the public to avoid inflammatory statements that could alarm communities.