Tension in Teso following Gen. Elwelu’s reported arrest
Soroti Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Haji Imuran Mulunga, where Elwelu has his second home, declined to comment on the matter, describing it as a high-profile case.
Retired army officer Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu. (File)
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Tension is mounting in Teso sub-region following reports of the arrest of retired army officer Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu, with security operatives reportedly deployed at his two homes.
Soroti Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Haji Imuran Mulunga, where Elwelu has his second home, declined to comment on the matter, describing it as a high-profile case.
“Kindly wait for my leaders to comment. I have no powers to comment,” Mulunga told New Vision by telephone on Monday night (November 2), minutes after the acting army spokesperson, Col. Chris Magezi, announced Elwelu’s arrest in a social media post on Monday.
"Breaking: Renegade UPDF (Uganda People's Defense Forces) General Peter Elwelu has this evening been arrested by the security forces in Soroti City. Lt. Gen. Elwelu has been on the run over involvement in subversive activities and plans to destabilise Teso," Magezi posted.
Another top security official in Teso, who requested not to be disclosed, confirmed the news of the arrest of Elwelu.
"It's true he has been arrested in Soroti city," the officer told New Vision on Monday night.
He, however, declined to reveal more details stating that they were locked up in a meeting at 10:00pm on Monday.
Security intelligence officers have reportedly been deployed in Teso for the past two weeks, according to senior security officials in the region.
In an exclusive interview with New Vision online last week, Elwelu’s wife, Patricia Apolot, revealed that security operatives had effectively placed their family under house arrest since last Sunday.
She said she was only allowed to leave the home on Wednesday to go shopping, but security operatives remained deployed at the premises.
Apolot also disclosed that her husband’s security detail was withdrawn shortly after his retirement from the army.
She further confirmed that the last military vehicle assigned to the family was taken away during a security operation at their Awoja home.
The reported arrest has heightened anxiety in Teso, where residents are closely following developments surrounding the retired general, who has strong family and personal ties to the region.