Mwenda Accuses Retired Lt Gen Elwelu of Plotting to Assassinate Gen Muhoozi and Seize Power

PLU Spokesman Andrew Mwenda has accused retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu of plotting to kill the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and take power in Uganda.

In a post on X on October 29, 2026, Mwenda claimed that people Elwelu had recruited into a militia had disclosed the plan. He also alleged that the former deputy army chief was hiding in swamps in Teso.

“Private Elwelu was planning to kill the CDF,” Mwenda wrote, tagging Muhoozi’s account.

Mwenda claimed that Elwelu had told the recruits that killing Muhoozi would enable him to take over Uganda. He did not identify the alleged recruits or provide supporting evidence in the post.

The assassination allegation remains unverified. Monitor reported that Elwelu’s family had rejected the rebellion accusations, describing them as an attempt to frame him and damage his reputation.

Mwenda’s latest post follows an earlier accusation on October 27 that Elwelu had used religion to conceal preparations for an uprising.

“Private Elwelu had been hiding behind Christian fundamentalism to disguise his plans for a rebellion against the state,” he wrote.

The accusations come amid arrests and demands for the retired officer to surrender. On October 27, Muhoozi said that security forces had arrested more than 20 former soldiers linked to Elwelu. He said they were cooperating with investigators but did not identify them or disclose their alleged offences.

Muhoozi also announced on X that he had stripped Elwelu of his lieutenant general’s rank and reduced him to private. However, Monitor reported that the announcement lacked formal confirmation from official military channels.

Meanwhile, former Works minister Musa Ecweru, a senior figure in the Arrow Boys militia, has urged Elwelu to surrender through religious or cultural leaders. He offered to help negotiate his safety with President Yoweri Museveni.

Ecweru warned that former Arrow Boys fighters could join government forces in searching for Elwelu. The group emerged in 2003 to defend communities in Teso against the Lord’s Resistance Army.

New Vision reported that the army was investigating allegations that Elwelu had mobilised recruits through former Arrow Boys structures. The report attributed those claims to security sources.

Elwelu previously commanded the Land Forces before becoming deputy Chief of Defence Forces. He also commanded troops during the November 2016 operation against the Rwenzururu palace in Kasese, which left more than 100 people dead. The United States imposed visa restrictions on him in 2024 over alleged human rights violations linked to that operation.