The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Soroti, Uganda | URN | Retired Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu, the embattled former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, is scheduled to meet President Yoweri Museveni following his arrest on Monday evening, as leaders from the Teso sub-region seek to defuse tensions triggered by his detention.
Sources in Teso say Elwelu has been transferred to Kampala ahead of the anticipated meeting, although the exact date and venue have not yet been established. Elwelu, who also served as a Senior Presidential Advisor and Army representative in Parliament, was arrested on Monday evening after reportedly surrendering to security operatives who had spent several days searching for him in Teso over alleged subversive activities.
His arrest triggered concern among political and community leaders in the region, with several calling for dialogue to calm residents who had expressed anger and frustration, particularly on social media. David Calvin Echodu, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairperson for Eastern Uganda, appealed to the people of Teso to remain calm as regional leaders engaged the country’s top leadership over the matter.
Echodu later announced that his discussions with President Museveni had yielded positive results, with the President agreeing to meet Elwelu. “We have talked to President Museveni, and he has agreed to meet with Gen Elwelu. We are working together with other leaders to see that this initiative is achieved well,” Echodu said.
He cautioned leaders against making statements that could inflame tensions, saying careless remarks were hurting the community. “I appeal to leaders not to throw statements anyhow; those words hurt the community. This issue will be solved, so let the people of Soroti and Teso at large keep calm,” he said.
Benson Ekwee Ocen, the Executive Director of the Public Affairs Centre of Uganda (PAC Uganda), urged Teso leaders to draw lessons from the 1997 security crisis when regional leaders engaged government through dialogue to resolve tensions.
Ekwee recalled that the late Bishop Geresom Ilukor had asked the government to allow local leaders to engage armed groups in the region, with three ministers from Teso, including the late Dr George Edward Aporu-Okol and the late Robert Ekinu, reportedly venturing into the bushes to engage them.
He said the intervention also led to the establishment of the Teso Presidential Commission, which helped address the crisis. Ekwee argued that a similar approach was needed now instead of public statements that could escalate tensions. He also said sources close to him had indicated that Elwelu was expected to meet President Museveni and his former commander, Gen Salim Saleh, who reportedly wanted to understand the circumstances surrounding the developments.
“According to the information we have, Gen Elwelu is scheduled to meet his commander, because that one also wants to understand what actually happened,” Ekwee said. He warned Teso leaders against making inflammatory statements, arguing that the arrest of a retired general should not be treated as an unprecedented development. “This was uncalled for. Elwelu is not the first retired general to be arrested,” he said.
However, Ekwee said the developments should also prompt concern among the Iteso over the fate of their prominent leaders, whom he described as important pillars of the region. He pointed to Gen Salim Saleh’s reported efforts to introduce a regional approach to governance, saying Teso needed strong leaders capable of representing its interests.
“This should be a source of concern to Teso, and it should cause worry to Iteso about how our leaders are falling. That’s not healthy for the region given the fact that Gen Salim Saleh is now introducing a new approach to governance which will be based on regions, and a regional voice and regional leaders are too critical,” Ekwee said.
He appealed to residents to remain calm and disciplined while maintaining support for their leaders, including Elwelu and Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, whom he said were facing difficult circumstances despite their service to the ruling NRM. Elwelu’s troubles followed a public fallout with the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has repeatedly accused the retired general of treason, stockpiling weapons, and organising anti-government activities.
