Salutations and National Greetings
Dear General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and President of the Republic of Uganda; all security chiefs; cultural, religious leaders and fellow Ugandans.Salaams and warm patriotic greetings from Gulu University, Rotary Clubs of Uganda and the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS).Quality Education Consultancy Ltd (QECL), OPUL Skilling Foundation Africa (OSFA) whose motto is “Innovative Skilling as Medicine to Extreme Poverty.” QECL&OSFA long-term commitment is to facilitate 20 million business start-ups, accelerations, and innovations, and to contribute to the creation of 40 million decent and sustainable jobs in Africa by 2035.
When the National drumbeats of anxiety grow Louder, Wisdom must speak before the Sword.
Allow me to publicly parade my profound appreciation to Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Lieutenant General Samuel Okiding, whose reported intervention has helped calm the anxieties of sections of the wounded and concerned Iteso community over the alleged arrest of former army chief, Lieutenant General (Rtd) Peter Elwelu. Lt General Okiding provided a detailed chorological background account of the events from the beginning leading up to Elwelu’s arrest. His assurance that the retired general is safe and has not been subjected to the mistreatment alleged in some sections of the media is a significant contribution to reassuring the public and allaying concerns.Speaking during an interview on Vision Group’s Etop Radio in Soroti City, Okiding explained the circumstances surrounding Elwelu’s disappearance, the search for him in Soroti and his eventual transfer to Kampala. He also dismissed reports that Elwelu was being mishandled by the military under the command of CDF General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. In a country where rumours can travel faster than official communication, such an intervention is commendable. The General demonstrated that sometimes a microphone can accomplish what a thousand marching boots cannot. Indeed, not every storm requires a sword; some require wisdom, empathy and an honest explanation.
A general who calms a community deserves recognition, but a country that prevents the crisis deserves even greater praise.
Okiding’s intervention should be appreciated not merely as an individual achievement but as an illustration of the kind of strategic communication Uganda’s security institutions urgently need. Security leadership is not exclusively about commanding troops, deploying resources or issuing operational instructions. It also involves reading the emotional temperature of communities, recognising emerging grievances and preventing misunderstandings from becoming national security complications. The ability to listen to an anxious population without interpreting every question as defiance is an important component of military professionalism. A wise commander understands that public confidence is an invisible shield protecting the legitimacy of security institutions. As Proverbs 15:1 in the Bible teaches, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” The lesson is unmistakable: authority becomes more effective when accompanied by wisdom and restraint.
Are the Iteso genuinely aggrieved by the arrest of General Elwelu?
I cannot conclusively answer that question because, to my knowledge, no scientific research has yet established the community’s overall feelings. However, open source on social media, particularly the widespread condemnation of some individuals who allegedly openly attempted to voluntarily expressed support for UPDF efforts to search and arrest Elwelu, encompassing Musa Echweru, former MP for Amuria County and former State Minister for Works, suggest that the matter may carry deeper community sensitivities. I have also read write up by Omongole R. Anguria! Titled: Are Iteso Learning Any Lessons after the kick in the teeth? Or they never learn at all? These reactions deserve careful examination rather than being dismissed as mere political disagreements. It is important to distinguish between defending an individual, expressing solidarity with one’s community and supporting accountability under the law.
The cultural leadership of Teso meeting with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House has demonstrated why traditional institutions remain important national bridges.
The reported meeting between Iteso Cultural Leader Papa Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House, Entebbe, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, alongside Kumam Paramount Chief Raphael Otaya and Teso Queen Juliet Akaliait Among, is significant. It illustrates the continuing relevance of cultural institutions in facilitating dialogue between communities and the highest offices of government. Cultural leaders are not merely custodians of traditional attire, cultural dances, ancestral memory and ceremonial authority. They are also custodians of community confidence and channels through which grievances can be communicated peacefully. Their engagement should be welcomed as an opportunity to strengthen national unity. A wise President does not merely listen to the loudest political voices; he also listens to the quiet concerns of communities whose confidence sustains the Republic. When cultural leaders knock at State House, the doors of dialogue should remain open.
Calvin Echodu Calls for calm in Teso: “Let the Law take its course as truth finds its voice”
In the wake of the arrest of retired Lt Gen Peter Elwelu by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) over allegations of subversive activities and a potential insurgency in the Teso sub-region, NRM Eastern Region Vice Chairman Calvin Echodu has appealed for calm, restraint and responsible public discourse. In a public statement issued on November 3, 2026, Echodu urged the people of Teso and Ugandans at large not to allow anxiety to become a wildfire or speculation to masquerade as established fact. His message was clear: in moments when emotions run high and rumours travel faster than truth, wisdom must take the driver’s seat. Echodu disclosed that he and other senior political leaders from the region had embarked on consultations with relevant institutions to address the concerns and anxieties of the people of Teso. He further confirmed that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni had been informed about the prevailing concerns. Like a bridge between a worried population and the corridors of power, Echodu said leaders were engaging the responsible authorities to ensure that the community’s concerns receive the attention they deserve.
He also called for a speedy, impartial and transparent investigation into the allegations surrounding the arrest, emphasising that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done. According to his appeal, the truth should be allowed to emerge through credible institutional processes rather than through the noisy marketplace of political speculation. After all, where facts are still being assembled, premature conclusions are but castles built on shifting sand.The NRM regional leader cautioned members of the public against inflammatory statements capable of heightening tensions, frightening communities or creating unnecessary divisions. His appeal carries an important reminder that words can either become medicine for a troubled society or fuel for an already burning fire. In a sensitive situation such as this, reckless rhetoric is no badge of courage, and political grandstanding is no substitute for responsible leadership.
Ultimately, Echodu’s message is one of patience, consultation and confidence in established institutions. As investigations and engagements proceed, the people of Teso are being encouraged to keep their composure, reject alarmist narratives and allow due process to take its course. The guiding principle is simple: cool heads, open dialogue and transparent justice must prevail over hot tempers, rumour and political theatrics. For when the dust of uncertainty settles, it should be the truth-not the loudest voice-that has the final word.
National call to action
From Unemployment to National Security: Design a 20-Year mass YouthEntrepreneurship programme to deter Recruitment into Rebellion
Uganda must urgently rethink the nexus between national security, youth unemployment and socioeconomic transformation by bringing security agencies and development partners, including OPUL SKILLING FOUNDATION AFRICA (OSFA), Mastercard Foundation, UNDP, the World Bank, FAO and other stakeholders, together to design a 20-year National Mass Entrepreneurship and Multi-Skills Training Programme for Youth. All government youth livelihood and skilling initiatives should be coordinated under a proposed UPDF-led inter-institutional framework, with appropriate civilian oversight, because unemployment is no longer merely an economic headache but a potential national security vulnerability. As the allegations surrounding the Elwelu case have brought into focus, vulnerable young people can become susceptible to manipulation through promises of employment and other economic opportunities; indeed, an idle population is fertile ground for those who trade in desperation. OPUL SKILLING FOUNDATION AFRICA (OSFA), in partnership with QUALITY EDUCATION CONSULTANCY LTD (QECL), had already co-designed an ambitious project titled “Demand-Driven Multi-Skills Training for Socioeconomic Transformation of 2,400,000 Underprivileged Street and Slum Youth, Veterans, Retiring UPDF/ISO Officers, Crime Preventers and Families of Fallen Soldiers (2023–2029),” working with the then Director General of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), the late Brigadier Charles Oluka, and the directors of ISO, including the current Director General, Major Arthur Mugyenyi, who then served as Director of Political Intelligence/Political Affairs at ISO headquarters. The late Brigadier Oluka reportedly held close consultations with H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni regarding this transformative initiative; unfortunately, his untimely passing created significant challenges to its progression. Nevertheless, the death of a visionary champion should not become the funeral of a national development vision. Uganda must not allow such a potentially transformative blueprint to gather dust in bureaucratic corridors while millions of young people wander through an economic wilderness, clutching certificates that cannot buy bread. After all, it is better to build an economically empowered generation than to spend endlessly policing an economically frustrated one; prevention is better than cure, and a productive youth population is the first line of national defence. The time has therefore come to resurrect, refine and institutionalise this vision, because a country that invests in the hands, minds and talents of its young people is planting the seeds of peace, prosperity and lasting national security.
The Psychology of guns and power: Dialogue is cheaper than war and wisdom stronger than force
Despite the psychology of guns, military ranks and the hallucinogenic allure of power, I earnestly appeal for proactive, continuous and constructive dialogue among aggrieved political leaders and security officers in Uganda before disagreements degenerate into dangerous confrontations. The verbal artillery exchanged between Lieutenant General (Rtd) Peter Elwelu and Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba should remind us that institutional disagreements rarely emerge from a vacuum; they often have a history, warning signs and missed opportunities for reconciliation. Perhaps, had timely dialogue, mediation and preventive engagement been prioritised, we might not be witnessing the present atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty. As the African proverb reminds us, it is easier to stop a bus from the front than to chase it from behind; likewise, it is wiser to extinguish the sparks of disagreement before they become an uncontrollable inferno. From prehistoric tribal rivalries and territorial disputes to ancient empires, medieval kingdoms and modern international conflicts, history demonstrates how mistrust, wounded pride, competing interests and failed communication have repeatedly pushed societies towards bloodshed. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 illustrates how diplomatic miscalculations, rigid military alliances and failed crisis management can transform a regional confrontation into a global catastrophe. Yet history equally offers powerful lessons about the lifesaving currency of dialogue: during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, communication and negotiations between American President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev helped pull the world back from the precipice of nuclear annihilation. Even Scripture teaches that wisdom can accomplish what weapons cannot: in 1 Samuel 25, Abigail’s courageous intervention and peaceful words prevented David from carrying out a deadly act of revenge; in Judges 8:1–3, Gideon’s diplomatic response to the offended men of Ephraim helped defuse a potentially destructive internal confrontation. These examples demonstrate that a soft answer can disarm an angry heart, while an unchecked ego can mobilise an entire army. Our political and security leaders must therefore understand that military superiority is not synonymous with political wisdom, and that winning an argument at the expense of national stability is a Pyrrhic victory. I particularly appeal to religious leaders, including the Church, the Muslim community and other faith institutions, to join hands with security leadership in promoting reconciliation, discreet mediation, moral guidance and confidence-building engagements among concerned personalities. Uganda must not wait for the smoke of confrontation to rise before searching for the water of reconciliation. Generals must remember that the highest demonstration of command is not merely the ability to deploy troops, but also the wisdom to prevent their deployment unnecessarily. Let dialogue precede discord, diplomacy silence verbal artillery, and national interest triumph over personal pride. A nation is not secured by the strength of its guns alone, but by the wisdom of its leaders to know when not to pull the trigger.
Let the Airwaves Preach Peace: A United Leadership front for Reconciliation, Healing and National Unity in Teso and Uganda
The highest political, security, cultural and religious leadership, both within Teso and at the national level, must urgently rise above the temptation of political grandstanding and intensify coordinated public engagement with aggrieved communities through every available radio station across the Teso sub-region and the country at large. Key personalities, including General Okiding, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Teso political leaders, H.E VP Alupo Jessica , the NRM National Vice Chairperson for Eastern Uganda, Hon. David Calvin Echodu, Teso Parliamentary group, His Highness the Emorimor and H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, should consistently deliver messages of reassurance, reconciliation, forgiveness, justice and national unity. The airwaves must become bridges of understanding rather than battlefields of competing narratives; microphones must serve as instruments of healing, not megaphones of hostility. Every radio broadcast should be an opportunity to acknowledge genuine grievances, address public fears, dispel dangerous speculation and rebuild confidence between the people and their government. As the Bible declares, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9), while the Qur’an teaches that reconciliation is best (Qur’an 4:128). These sacred teachings remind us that peace is not the monopoly of politicians, the privilege of generals or the responsibility of government alone; it is a collective moral obligation. Government must appreciate that peace cannot simply be decreed from the comfort of State House or commanded from military headquarters; it must be patiently cultivated through listening, accountability, empathy, justice and sustained engagement. After all, a wound concealed is not a wound healed, a boiling pot does not become cold because its lid is tightly closed, and silence in a troubled community should never be mistaken for consent or genuine peace. It would be political naivety to assume that unanswered grievances will disappear merely because public voices have gone quiet. The time has therefore come for a deliberate Airwaves Diplomacy and Community Confidence-Building Initiative, bringing together political leaders, security commanders, cultural institutions, religious leaders and community representatives to create a common platform for dialogue and reconciliation. Let leaders speak with one voice of responsibility, let radios broadcast the language of peace, and let the aggrieved communities feel heard, respected and reassured. The ultimate test of leadership is not how loudly one can command obedience, but how wisely one can inspire trust; for where dialogue opens its doors, suspicion loses its throne, and where justice walks alongside reconciliation, lasting peace finds a home.
MY FINAL MESSAGE TO UGANDA
I sincerely applaud Lt. Gen. Samuel Okiding for his reassuring intervention in calming concerns among the Iteso community regarding the alleged arrest of Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Peter Elwelu. I appeal to H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, security chiefs, political, cultural and religious leaders to prioritise dialogue, transparency, justice and reconciliation. Let Teso and all Ugandans remain calm, reject rumours and allow the law to take its course. More importantly, let Uganda invest in youth entrepreneurship, practical skills and decent jobs as preventive national security. Let microphones become instruments of peace, not weapons of division; let wisdom triumph over ego, dialogue over confrontation, and national unity over personal interests. The greatest victory of leadership is preventing a war, not winning one. GOD BLESS TESO; GOD BLESS UGANDA!
GOD BLESS TESO. GOD BLESS UGANDA. GOD BLESS AFRICA
OPUL JOSEPH, PhD
Lecturer | Educationist | King of innovative Skilling | Mass Entrepreneurship | Development Practitioner
Lecturer, Gulu University and Chief Kitgum Campus
Founder, Quality Education Consultancy Ltd (QECL)
CEO, OPUL Skilling Foundation Africa (OSFA)
President, Rotary Club of Soroti Central
Life Member, Uganda Red Cross Society
[email protected]
The post Dr. Opul Joseph, PhD: Not Every Storm requires a sword; some require wisdom: Applauding Lt. Gen. Samuel Okiding for Calming concerned Iteso over the alleged arrest of Elwelu appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.