Lieutenant General Peter Elwelu, the former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), is set to retire from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in July, alongside more than 1,300 officers across various ranks.
Lt Gen 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. Over the course of his military career, Elwelu held several key command positions, including head of the UPDF Land Forces and commander of the 2nd Division in Mbarara.
He is perhaps most infamously remembered for leading the 2016 assault on the Rwenzururu Palace in Kasese. The operation left over 150 people dead and more than 200 arrested. The palace has remained in a dilapidated state ever since, despite the government later pardoning King Charles Wesley Mumbere.
Currently, Elwelu serves as a senior presidential advisor and as 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.
Despite being only 58 years old, Lt Gen Elwelu’s inclusion on the retirement list has sparked speculation that he may be exiting the army involuntarily.
