Lt Gen Peter Elwelu, the former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), is set to retire from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) this July, joining over 1,300 officers expected to leave the force across various ranks.
Elwelu, who served as deputy to former CDF Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi for nearly three years, was relieved of his duties last year along with his superior. Throughout his military career, he held several significant command positions, including Commander of the UPDF Land Forces and head of the 2nd Division based in Mbarara.
He is most widely remembered for leading the controversial 2016 military assault on the Rwenzururu Palace in Kasese. The operation resulted in the deaths of over 150 people and the arrest of more than 200 others. The palace remains in a state of disrepair, despite the government later pardoning Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere.
Currently, Lt Gen Elwelu serves as a senior presidential advisor and one of the military representatives in Parliament.
He will retire alongside other senior officers, including Maj Gen Charles Okello, the founding commander of the National Defence College Uganda (NDC-UG) in Jinja, and Maj Gen George Igumba.
Although he is only 58 years old, Elwelu’s inclusion on the retirement list has raised speculation that his departure may not be entirely voluntary.
