Museveni: Gen. Moses Ali was a freedom fighter, peacemaker
Museveni made the remarks at Parliament ahead of a special sitting held to honour the late Gen. Moses Ali on Tuesday, having died on Saturday
KAMPALA, July 21, 2026 — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has paid tribute to the late Gen. Moses Ali, describing him as a patriot, freedom fighter and peacemaker whose contributions to Uganda’s political stability and the development of the West Nile sub-region remain part of the country’s history.
Museveni made the remarks at Parliament ahead of a special sitting held to honour the late Gen. Moses Ali on Tuesday, having died on Saturday.
Ahead of the sitting, Members of Parliament, family members and friends of the late Gen. Moses Ali signed a condolence book, paying their final respects to the veteran legislator who was also Second Deputy Prime Minister.
Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, Vice President Jessica Alupo and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Delivering his tribute, Museveni said Gen. Moses Ali’s public life was defined by three outstanding qualities that he had personally witnessed and heard about over several decades.
“I was able to hear and see three elements of his contribution to Uganda. he was a lover of freedom, peacemaker, a development person,” he said.
The President recounted that although Moses Ali had served in the government of former President Idi Amin following the 1971 military coup, he quietly opposed the excesses of the regime and became increasingly uncomfortable with its brutality.
“I heard that Moses Ali was not happy with Idi Amin’s power. I heard that Moses Ali was not happy with Idi Amin killing people. That’s why actually he pushed him,” Museveni said.
According to the President, Moses Ali’s opposition to Amin’s methods eventually cost him his position in government.
“I think by the time we captured Kampala, I don’t think he was in the government… I heard that he was like suspended or something,” he added.
Museveni said those events demonstrated that Moses Ali valued justice and freedom above political office.
Reflecting on Uganda’s political history, Museveni narrated how he immediately organised resistance after Idi Amin seized power in January 1971, describing himself as the first Ugandan to openly oppose the military regime.
“I was the first man in the whole of Uganda to oppose Idi Amin. I am here. I’m not dead, I’m just here. So, put it on record that this is the first man who opposed Idi Amin,” he said.
Museveni said he first met Moses Ali personally in Libya in 1981, where various Ugandan liberation movements had gathered following invitations from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
While Gaddafi wanted the groups to merge into one organisation, Museveni said they instead agreed to coordinate their efforts while maintaining separate movements until they could agree on common political principles.
He said Moses Ali immediately distinguished himself as a leader committed to cooperation rather than rivalry.
According to the President, that commitment to dialogue became even more evident during the final phase of the liberation struggle in 1985 and 1986.
He said Moses Ali and the Uganda National Rescue Front [UNRF] gradually withdrew from forces preparing to resist the National Resistance Army’s advance on Kampala, thereby avoiding unnecessary fighting.
“I agreed with Moses Ali that the UNRF people… pulled out slowly. And he pulled out slowly. They didn’t fight us when we were entering Kampala. That’s how our cooperation started,” Museveni said.
He described the decision as one of the defining moments of Moses Ali’s political life.
Beyond politics and war, Museveni said Moses Ali devoted much of his later life to transforming the West Nile sub-region.
He recalled that the late General was a persistent advocate for improved roads, electricity, compensation for veterans and increased government investment in the region.
“The tarmac road, electricity, the issue of the veterans, he was always on the forefront. And many of his pressures on us have already brought results,” Museveni said.
The President said Moses Ali had consistently pushed government to prioritise economic opportunities for the people of West Nile, adding that his advocacy had already yielded tangible results.
Gen. Moses Ali served Uganda for nearly six decades in both military and civilian leadership. He held several ministerial portfolios and served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament.
As the long-serving Member of Parliament for Adjumani West County, he earned a reputation as one of the country’s most experienced legislators and a steadfast advocate for peace and development in West Nile.
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