Kampala, Uganda | URN | Gen. (Rtd) Moses Ali, one of Uganda’s longest-serving military commanders, politicians and former deputy prime minister, has died, according to information from family members at Nakasero Hospital.
A daughter of the deceased, who requested not to be named because she is not authorized to speak on behalf of the family, told Uganda Radio Network that the veteran statesman died a few hours ago.
She said family members were converging at the hospital to finalize arrangements before making an official announcement.
A source in the Office of the Prime Minister, confirmed the news, saying the Prime minister, Robinah Nabbanja is expected to make the official announcement on behalf of the government.
The former health minister and Soroti Municipality Member of Parliament, Captain Mike Mukula also confirmed Gen. Ali’s death in a long condelence message he posted on his X handle.
Earlier on Friday, several of Gen. Moses Ali’s children, including those who had travelled from abroad, gathered at Nakasero Hospital for a closed-door family meeting following his admission earlier this week. His son, Ali Siraj, the Minister of State for Works, declined to comment on his father’s condition after the meeting, saying only: “Please don’t write it.”
Gen. Moses Ali, who was 87, leaves behind one of the most remarkable and complex legacies in Uganda’s political and military history, having served under successive governments, led a rebel movement, negotiated peace and later returned to become one of the country’s longest-serving Cabinet ministers.
Born on April 5, 1939, in Meliaderi Village in present-day Adjumani District, he joined the Uganda Army in the 1960s and rose through the ranks. Following the 1971 military coup that brought Idi Amin to power, Moses Ali became one of Amin’s senior military commanders and held several ministerial positions, including Minister of Provincial Administration (Interior) and Minister of Finance.
After the fall of the Amin government in 1979, he fled into exile and later emerged as leader of the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF), a rebel movement that fought the second Milton Obote government from the West Nile region.
Following peace negotiations with President Yoweri Museveni’s government after 1986, the UNRF was integrated into the National Resistance Army, now the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF). Moses Ali was commissioned as a Major General, beginning a new chapter in national politics.
Over the following decades, he served in several key Cabinet positions, including Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports, Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Third Deputy Prime Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister and, most recently, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament until 2026.
His military career also advanced, earning promotion to Lieutenant General in 2003 and full General in 2012 before retiring from active military service while remaining in elective politics.
He is widely credited with playing a central role in restoring peace in Uganda’s West Nile region through negotiations that led to the integration of former rebels and the eventual end of insurgency in the area.
Throughout Uganda’s transition from military rule to constitutional governance, Gen. Moses Ali remained an influential political figure. He represented East Moyo County before later serving as Member of Parliament for Adjumani West County.
In the 2026 General Elections, he successfully retained the Adjumani West parliamentary seat on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket. However, President Museveni did not reappoint him to Cabinet after the elections, ending more than five decades of service in successive governments. His son, Ali Siraj, was subsequently appointed Minister of State for Works.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced after the family and government issue an official statement.
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