The death of Gen. Moses Ali on Saturday, 18 July 2026, at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala marks the end of an extraordinary life that spanned Uganda’s turbulent political history and the country’s long journey towards peace and stability.
Born on 5 April 1939 in Meliaderi Village, Ataboo Parish, Pakelle Sub-county in present-day Adjumani District, Gen. Ali rose from humble beginnings as an orphaned village boy to become a soldier, senior military commander, rebel leader, politician and statesman who served in several successive governments.
Gen. Moses Ali lost both his parents, Wani Loke and Dusman Dore, when he was 11 years old, leaving him to face an uncertain future. He was taken in by his maternal uncle, Ramadan Wani, who supported his education and ensured he remained in school.
To help pay for his education, Ali worked in people’s gardens as a young boy. He passed his Primary Leaving Examination at Erepi Church of Uganda Primary School in 1957 before joining Old Kampala Secondary School, where he obtained his General Certificate of Education.
Ali also studied the Quran at a Madarasa and later became a teacher there.
His career in public service began with the military, where he established himself as a disciplined and strategic officer.
He joined the Uganda Army and steadily rose through the ranks. In 1969, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and appointed Officer in Charge of Training at the Uganda Paratrooper School.
By 1971, he had been promoted to Major and was serving as Commander of the Uganda Paratrooper School. He rose further to the rank of Colonel in 1972.
During the administration of former President Idi Amin, Gen. Ali served as a senior military commander and held ministerial responsibilities, becoming one of the prominent figures in the government of the time.
However, Uganda’s political instability would later place him on a different path.
In the early 1980s, Gen. Ali became the leader of the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF), an armed rebellion that emerged during one of the most politically turbulent periods in the country’s history. His involvement in the insurgency reflected the deep divisions and conflicts that characterised Uganda at the time.
The turning point came in 1986, when Gen. Ali reached a peace agreement with the government led by President Yoweri Museveni. The agreement paved the way for the integration of his forces into the National Resistance Army, marking his transition from rebel leader to a key figure within the new political and military order.
Following the integration, Gen. Ali was commissioned as a Major General in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, beginning a new chapter in his long public career.
His ability to move from the battlefield to government service became one of the defining features of his life. Rather than remaining on the margins of the political system after the peace agreement, Gen. Ali became an important part of the government he had once fought against.
Over the years, he served in a number of senior government positions, taking on responsibilities in areas ranging from disaster preparedness and refugee affairs to the highest levels of government.
He served as Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees and later rose to become Third Deputy Prime Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister and eventually Second Deputy Prime Minister.
General Moses Ali also served as the president of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) from 1994 to 1995.
After a long career in the military and politics, he fulfilled his childhood dream of studying law. He completed a certificate of higher education with the University of Wolverhampton, earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University in his 60s, and later graduated from the Law Development Centre in Kampala with a Diploma in Legal Practice
From 2021 until 2026, Gen. Ali served as Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament, one of the most senior positions he held in his decades-long public career.
Although he was dropped from Cabinet following the 2026 General Elections, his service to the country did not end. He retained his parliamentary seat and continued representing the people of Adjumani West Constituency until his death.
His journey was neither simple nor without controversy, but it was undeniably significant. Gen. Ali lived through some of the most difficult chapters in Uganda’s history and became an active participant in many of them.
May Gen. Moses Ali rest in eternal peace.
