President Yoweri Museveni has paid tribute to the late Gen. Moses Ali, describing the veteran statesman, soldier and politician as one of Uganda’s most dedicated public servants whose contribution to the country’s development will be remembered for generations.
Gen. Moses Ali, one of Uganda’s longest-serving political and military figures whose public life spanned more than five decades and multiple political eras, has died.
He was 87.
He passed away on Saturday at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala, bringing to an end the career of a man who served as a soldier, rebel leader, cabinet minister, parliamentarian and one of the country’s most influential political leaders from the West Nile sub-region.
His death was announced by President Yoweri Museveni, who hailed him as a patriot whose contribution to Uganda would be remembered long after his passing.
“It is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of our brother Gen. Moses Ali. He died today at Nakasero Hospital, at 1600 hours. Gen. Moses Ali has provided service to his country for a long time, as a soldier and a political leader,” said Museveni.
“In the West Nile region, he provided the good example of being a big modern farmer. We shall miss greatly his contribution. May the Almighty God rest his soul in eternal peace.”
For generations of Ugandans, Moses Ali represented continuity in a political landscape that underwent repeated upheavals. He remained a national figure through the governments of Milton Obote, Idi Amin, the post-Amin administrations, the bush war years and the National Resistance Movement government led by Museveni.
Born on April 5, 1939, in Adjumani District, Moses Ali joined public service as a young man before receiving military training. During Idi Amin’s administration, he rose to become Minister of Finance and later held other influential government positions. Following Amin’s overthrow in 1979, he fled into exile, where he became one of the leading figures in the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF), an armed rebel movement that operated mainly in the West Nile region.
For years, northern Uganda remained affected by insurgencies, but Moses Ali eventually entered negotiations with the National Resistance Movement government. In 1988, the UNRF signed a peace agreement with the government, one of Uganda’s earliest negotiated settlements with an armed group. The agreement paved the way for his return to national politics and was widely regarded as an important step toward stabilising the West Nile region after years of conflict.
His decision to work with President Museveni transformed him from a former rebel commander into a senior government official. Over the following decades, he became one of the NRM government’s most trusted leaders and served in numerous cabinet portfolios, including First Deputy Prime Minister and later Second Deputy Prime Minister. He also held responsibilities relating to disaster preparedness and refugees, portfolios that frequently placed him at the centre of humanitarian responses affecting thousands of Ugandans.
In Parliament, Moses Ali represented Adjumani West Constituency for many years, winning successive elections and maintaining strong political support in his home district. Even as age advanced, he remained an active participant in legislative business and cabinet affairs, earning respect across party lines for his experience and institutional memory.
Away from politics, he was widely admired for promoting commercial agriculture in West Nile. His extensive farming ventures became a model frequently cited by President Museveni as evidence that modern farming could transform rural livelihoods. Cattle keeping, crop farming and mechanised agriculture formed an important part of his legacy beyond public office.
His career, however, was not without controversy. His years in Idi Amin’s government continued to generate debate among historians and political commentators, while his later alliance with the NRM attracted both praise and criticism from different sections of the political spectrum. Supporters viewed him as a pragmatic leader who chose reconciliation and national rebuilding over prolonged conflict. Critics questioned aspects of his earlier political associations and the compromises that accompanied Uganda’s changing political landscape.
Despite those differing assessments, few disputed his influence. Moses Ali belonged to a generation of leaders whose personal histories mirrored Uganda’s turbulent journey through coups, civil wars, reconciliation efforts and democratic transition. His ability to remain politically relevant across changing governments made him one of the country’s most enduring public figures.
Within the NRM, he was regarded as a senior statesman whose counsel carried considerable weight, particularly on matters concerning the West Nile region, security and national unity. Younger politicians frequently looked to him as a bridge between Uganda’s older political generation and emerging leaders.
His death leaves a significant gap in Uganda’s political establishment and in the West Nile region, where he was regarded not only as a political leader but also as an elder whose influence extended beyond electoral politics.
As news of his passing spread across the country, tributes began pouring in from government officials, political leaders, religious figures and ordinary Ugandans, many recalling his resilience, longevity in public service and his role in shaping modern Uganda.
Gen. Moses Ali is survived by his family, relatives and a political legacy that stretches across more than half a century of Uganda’s history. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the government and his family.
Although he had won another five-year term as MP, Moses Ali was among ministers dropped from Museveni’s cabinet for 2026-2031, although the president appointed Ali’s son a junior minister. (See Details Here and There).
You can read more on Moses Ali’s life story Here.
