Former First Deputy Prime Minister and veteran Ugandan statesman Gen Moses Ali has died at Nakasero Hospital, according to a statement from Captain Mike Mukula.
The family said he passed away on Friday at 4:25 p.m.
Mukula described Moses Ali as a “distinguished patriot, freedom fighter, and statesman” who devoted his life to Uganda’s peace, national unity, stability and reconstruction.
“Uganda has lost one of her finest sons,” he said, extending condolences to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the government and people of Uganda, the family of Gen Moses Ali, and residents of Adjumani, West Nile and the country at large.
General Moses Ali (1939–2026) was a veteran Ugandan statesman, lawyer, and retired military officer who served for over 50 years in public service. He served as Uganda’s Second Deputy Prime Minister from 2021 until 2026 and was the longtime Member of Parliament for the Adjumani West Constituency.
A highly influential figure in Ugandan politics, his extensive career spanned multiple regimes:
- Military and Amin Era: He joined the military in the 1960s and was a close ally of President Idi Amin in the 1970s, serving as Minister of Finance.
- Rebellion and Peace: After Amin’s downfall, he spent time in exile and later formed the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) rebel group in the 1980s. He eventually made peace with President Yoweri Museveni’s government in 1986 and integrated his forces into the national army.
- Cabinet Roles: Under Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) administration, he held several key posts, including First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs, and Minister of Disaster Preparedness.
Known affectionately as the “Lion of Adjumani,” he formally exited the Cabinet in May 2026 but continued to serve as an elected legislator. On July 18, 2026, the 87-year-old leader passed away at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala.