Lt. Mabonga: The Elwelu Arrest Story Was Designed to Intimidate Generals.

Two days ago, the UPDF announced that Gen. Peter Elwelu had been arrested following a hunt ordered by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Elwelu was accused of engaging in subversive activities and plotting to assassinate Muhoozi. But almost immediately, Lt. Herbert Matanda Mabonga challenged the official narrative. Mabonga's argument was straightforward: if he, a relatively junior lieutenant, managed to evade Uganda's security and intelligence machinery and flee the country after exposing what he describes as corruption and abuses within the system, how could a senior general like Elwelu simply be hunted down and arrested? Mabonga insists Elwelu was never arrested. According to him, the general surrendered after reaching an agreement with the military. He argues that describing the surrender as an arrest is a deliberate attempt to project Muhoozi as an exceptionally powerful commander with an intelligence network capable of tracking down even the most senior officers. And then came the Daily Monitor report, which indicated that Elwelu had actually surrendered to the military. That report gave renewed attention to the distinction Mabonga had been making between an arrest and a negotiated surrender. So what really happened? Was Gen. Elwelu arrested, or did he surrender under an arrangement? Why does Mabonga insist that the distinction matters? And what message, if any, is being sent to other military officers? I got on a call with Lt. Herbert Matanda Mabonga, and he explains why he disputes the official account and why he believes the Elwelu story is about much more than one general's fate. Let's hear it from him.