Elwelu Was Plotting Rebellion Under Cover of Christianity, Says PLU Spokesperson Mwenda

Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) spokesperson Andrew Mwenda has accused retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu of using Christianity to conceal plans for an armed rebellion against President Yoweri Museveni's government.

Mwenda made the allegations in a post on X on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, as the military intensified its pursuit of the former deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).

"Private Elwelu had been hiding behind Christian fundamentalism to disguise his plans for a rebellion against the state. Now he is on the run, and Christ won’t protect him from his plots to violently destabilize Uganda," Mwenda wrote.

The accusations follow a series of statements by the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has declared Elwelu a traitor and ordered him to surrender to security forces.

Gen Kainerugaba announced on Tuesday that he had stripped Elwelu of his military ranks and demoted him from Lieutenant General to Private.

"The traitor Peter Elwelu is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is demoted to Private," Muhoozi wrote on X.

The army chief also said that security forces had arrested more than 20 former soldiers who served under Elwelu. He said the suspects were cooperating with investigators and urged the retired commander to surrender to save his life.

Mwenda's remarks add a religious dimension to the growing confrontation between Elwelu and the military leadership.

The former deputy army chief is known for his public expressions of Christian faith. However, Mwenda did not explain how Elwelu allegedly used his religious beliefs to organise a rebellion or identify the suspected rebel group.

Elwelu previously served as commander of the UPDF Land Forces before becoming deputy CDF.

In March 2024, Museveni removed him from the deputy CDF position and appointed Lt Gen Sam Okiding as his replacement. Elwelu was subsequently appointed senior presidential adviser on Teso and Karamoja affairs.

His military career has also attracted controversy over his command role during the November 2016 military operation against the Rwenzururu Kingdom palace in Kasese, which left more than 100 people dead. The United States imposed visa restrictions on him in 2024 over alleged gross human rights violations linked to the operation.

The latest accusations mark a sharp escalation in the dispute between Elwelu and Muhoozi, who has previously criticised the former deputy army chief in public.

Elwelu has not publicly responded to the latest allegations, and his whereabouts remain unconfirmed.