Adjumani, Uganda: The 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Gen. Moses Ali, has dismissed claims that Uganda’s political problems stem from leadership, instead blaming opposition leaders for what he termed “blind criticism” and failure to focus on household wealth creation.
Speaking to DailyExpress shortly after casting his vote during the NRM village primary elections in Abiricaku Village, Adjumani Town Council, on May 6, 2025, Gen. Ali criticized the opposition for “singing imperialist hymns of human rights” instead of addressing poverty and national development.
“Uganda’s problem is not leadership. It is the failure to unite and fight poverty. Our opposition is busy glorifying foreign narratives and attacking government instead of building the economy,” Gen. Ali said.
A historical figure in Uganda’s post-independence politics, Gen. Ali, who is seeking a sixth parliamentary term, accused some local leaders in Adjumani, many of whom he mentored, of turning against him out of selfish ambition and age bias.
“Those claiming I’m old and tired are blind to the wisdom, skills, and experience that come with age. Parliament has seats for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Why not for a seasoned General who still delivers?” he asked.
He slammed what he called “politics of obscurantism” and warned that Adjumani risks repeating the mistake of 2006 when he briefly lost his seat—an outcome he said residents later regretted.
Gen. Ali listed a string of developments he claims to have lobbied for, including: The Atyak-Omi road, A World Bank-funded mega water project from the Nile to Adjumani Town, the Laropi-Afoji road, and the Pending construction of a bridge across the Nile to connect Adjumani to Moyo and the greater West Nile.
He also vowed to push for municipality status for Adjumani and elevation of Dzaipi, Chiforo, and Ofua to town council level. “I don’t need to stand tall to read a memo before the President. I talk to him one-on-one. I’ve earned his trust,” Gen. Ali noted, asserting his seniority and direct influence in national politics.
2026 Elections Outlook
Political commentators in Adjumani believe Gen. Moses Ali may have easy election victory given that several candidates have expressed interest in challenging him in NRM primaries, given that his staunch voters will remain intact versing the scattered voters of his opponents combined.
“If they want to dislodge him they should form a united front and field one opposition because if he is defeated in primaries he will not re-contest on independent ticket that is when the many aspirants can then sort out themselves but defeating Gen. Ali when he is up against several contestants’ is an uphill task and won’t happen” one analyst told DailyExpress.
Gen. Ali, who has been in government since 1973 and returned to Cabinet in 1986 under President Museveni, remains Uganda’s most senior-ranking Muslim in politics and one of the longest-serving ministers in East Africa.
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