Lt Gen Peter Elwelu the outgoing Deputy Chief of Defence Forces says that being a senior presidential advisor was way more Important than his previous position.
Lt. Gen., who stood in for the outgoing Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, as the chief guest at the 18th Wazalendo SACCO Annual General Meeting at Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja City, expressed that he now holds a higher rank than the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces in the UPDF.
“I declined the invitation to stand in for the outgoing Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadhi, who was undergoing vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament. I made it clear that as a Senior Presidential Advisor, I am no longer subject to deployment by a Minister but rather by the President, who holds the appointing authority. My current position elevates me to a level akin to that of former Vice President Gilbert Bukenya,” boasted Gen. Elwelu.
In a light-hearted manner, the military officer remarked that although he is stepping down from UPDF leadership, he intends to dedicate a significant portion of his time to praying for the army.
He then rallied all 500 delegates and invited guests to rise to their feet and join him in singing a hymn in Runyankore, a request that was enthusiastically met.
Gen. Elwelu commended the Wazalendo SACCO for its efforts in enhancing the welfare of soldiers through providing them with loans.
“I recently availed myself of a substantial loan because of the good remuneration I receive in Parliament. While I had never taken out such a large loan from Wazalendo SACCO before, being a Member of Parliament allows me to comfortably repay it with my parliamentary earnings. I figured, in these five years, I should make the most of it because there’s good money there. The funds I access now are unlike anything I’ve experienced before,” he shared.
Established in 2007, Wazalendo SACCO has evolved into Uganda’s largest and one of Africa’s foremost SACCOs.
According to Col. Fred Onata, the SACCO’s Chief Executive Officer, their membership exceeds 100,000 individuals, with total assets amounting to an impressive UGX 950 billion.
