Uganda mourns former deputy PM Moses Ali

Uganda is mourning the death of General Moses Ali, a former Second Deputy Prime Minister and one of the country’s longest‑serving political and military figures. He died on Saturday at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala at the age of 87.

President Yoweri Museveni announced the death on social media, describing Ali as “a brother” who had given long service to Uganda as a soldier, political leader, and modern farmer. Ali had been admitted to the intensive care unit in recent days following heart‑related complications.

Ali was a member of parliament for Adjumani West Constituency and had been re‑elected in the January 2026 general election on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket. He was not reappointed to the cabinet in a May 2026 reshuffle, ending a tenure that had lasted more than 50 years. He had served as Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament from June 2021 until he departed from cabinet.

Born in April 1939, Ali began his career as a teacher before joining the Uganda Army in 1968. He rose quickly through the ranks and by 1971 was a colonel training paratroopers. He served under President Idi Amin, holding posts including provincial administration minister and finance minister. After Amin’s fall in 1979, Ali went into exile. He later returned as leader of the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF), a rebel movement that eventually reached a peace agreement with Museveni’s government. He was later arrested on treason charges but acquitted by the High Court in 1992.

Ali held a bachelor’s law degree from Makerere University and a master’s in intelligence studies from American Military University. He was promoted to four‑star general in 2012. A state funeral has been announced, with burial expected at his ancestral home in Adjumani District on Tuesday.

SOURCE: TRTAFRIKA