General (retd.) Moses Ali, has once again shaken up Ugandan politics by picking nomination forms to contest the NRM primaries for Adjumani West, this time at age 86. A veteran of both the military and the corridors of political power, Ali has become a symbol of complex tensions between experience and renewal in Ugandan governance.
Born in 1939 in Adjumani District, General Moses Ali came of age during a turbulent chapter of Ugandan history. He rose to prominence under Idi Amin, serving as Finance Minister and later as Minister of Provincial Administration. When tensions emerged between him and Amin, he fled the country, only to return years later to become a pivotal figure in the struggles that shaped modern Uganda. In the 1980s, he led the Uganda National Rescue Front, which eventually merged with President Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army. By the mid-1990s, he had established himself as one of the regime’s elder statesmen, serving multiple terms as a Member of Parliament and occupying positions of influence across successive NRM cabinets.
Despite chronic age-related conditions, including a documented tremor affecting his head and voice, General Ali maintains that he has “enough gas left in the tank” to continue serving the people of Adjumani West. In recent months, he has brushed aside speculation about frailty with a defiant sense of humor. When asked about his fitness for office, he reminded onlookers that “some people pronounced me dead several times… only Jesus Christ died and rose again.” The sight of him leaning on a walking stick while joining traditional dances has become a powerful image for supporters, illustrating that, for Ali, service is as much a matter of will as it is of strength.
The decision of an octogenarian veteran to run for office is not an isolated case. It reflects a wider trend in Ugandan politics, where a cadre of aging leaders has refused to step aside. Figures like former Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, veteran politician Matia Kasaija, and long-serving army generals like Edward Katumba Wamala continue to dominate the upper echelons of government. Together, these stalwarts underscore the resilience of the old guard and highlight the delicate balance between continuity and the urgent call for generational renewal.
General Ali’s re-entry into the race raises questions about the nature of Ugandan politics. It shines a spotlight on the ruling party’s gerontocratic tendencies, prompting conversations about whether long-standing leaders, many of whom have been in politics for over four decades, can truly respond to the aspirations of a younger generation.
In Adjumani and beyond, General Ali’s campaign will be watched closely. Will it reaffirm the dominance of seasoned political patriarchs, or will it catalyze a shift towards younger, forward-thinking leaders?
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