Patricia Apolot, the wife of retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu, has denied claims by security authorities that guns and ammunition were recovered from their home in Soroti during a security operation. Instead, she alleges that soldiers planted the weapons. The incident occurred on October 27, when Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba posted on his X account, claiming that security operatives had recovered guns and ammunition from one of Elwelu’s homes in Teso.
According to Apolot, security personnel raided their home in Awoja Parish, Soroti district, at about 7:30 pm on Monday last week. She said the operatives questioned her about her husband’s whereabouts and confiscated her two mobile phones and those belonging to her sisters. Apolot told the security personnel that Elwelu had left for prayers more than two weeks earlier and had not returned or communicated with her.
Apolot narrated that the security personnel accused her of being coached by her husband and questioned some young men at the home about their relationship with him. She added that other soldiers searched the compound, looking for evidence that could implicate Elwelu. The operatives later requested permission to search the main house, which Apolot granted. They searched the kitchen, drawers, bedrooms, and bathrooms but found no weapons.
Apolot explained that the soldiers became particularly suspicious of a locked room where she had kept money left by her husband for construction work. She maintained that the search yielded no firearms and accused some of the soldiers who remained behind of planting weapons in the kitchen. Apolot alleged that firearms belonging to soldiers who had previously provided security for Elwelu were kept at their Anyara home in a small armoury.
According to Apolot, the weapons allegedly recovered from the Anyara premises were AK-47 rifles belonging to soldiers assigned to protect the retired general. She further explained that President Yoweri Museveni had promised Elwelu firearms for his personal security when he retired, but the weapons were later withdrawn alongside some of the soldiers assigned to protect him.
Apolot also claimed that the family had experienced repeated security threats and surveillance at their homes, both during Elwelu’s active military service and after his retirement. She alleged that individuals had repeatedly visited their properties under suspicious circumstances, sometimes disguising themselves as mentally ill people while taking photographs of the retired general.
Apolot expressed frustration over allegations circulating on social media portraying her husband as a criminal and someone plotting to overthrow the government. She dismissed social media claims that she had physically assaulted her husband, insisting that they had never fought. The situation has triggered reactions on social media, with some residents calling on Teso leaders to intervene and establish his whereabouts and the reasons for his reported detention.
Key points
- The wife of retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu denies claims of recovered guns and ammunition from their home.
- Apolot alleges that soldiers planted the weapons in their home during a raid.
- The incident has triggered concern in Teso over Elwelu’s reported arrest and the circumstances surrounding his detention.
