Adjumani, Uganda: Veteran Adjumani West Member of Parliament, Gen. Moses Ali, has announced that he will not hand over the constituency seat to any of his children once he retires from politics, insisting that Adjumani West is not a monarchy and does not belong to his family.
The veteran politician and Four-Star UPDF General, revered as the “only bull in the kraal” of West Nile and the “cork” of the Madi sub-region, made the remarks following his landslide victory in the just-concluded NRM primaries. Gen. Ali trounced his closest challenger by a margin of over 4,000 votes to retain the party flag ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Speaking at his Abiricaku residence in Adjumani Town during a press briefing on Friday, July 19, 2025, Gen. Ali said he does not condone political hegemonies or family-driven political handovers.
“My father didn’t give me a political job, I fought my way from scratch, so I don’t have any plot of backing one of my children to take over the parliamentary seat of Adjumani West County once I finally retire in politics,” Gen. Ali said.
He revealed that his children are highly educated, with five already holding law degrees. Among them is his daughter Aisha Ali, who is pursuing a PhD at Oxford University in England. He said his children are capable of pursuing political ambitions on their own merits without his endorsement. “They have all the requirements plus exposure to challenge for political positions but not with my support,” he said.
Gen. Ali expressed gratitude to NRM members in Adjumani West County for placing their trust in him once again. He noted that the renewed mandate would enable him to accomplish key development plans for both Adjumani and the wider West Nile region.
“I have already made an 8-point proposal to President Yoweri Museveni for the development of the West Nile region, which I presented during my speech at the West Nile Peace Celebrations held at Boma Grounds, Yumbe District, in April 2025,” Gen. Ali said.
His proposals include the formation of cooperative societies, compensation of war debt claimants, the creation of a Ministry for West Nile Region, infrastructure development, increased appointments of West Nilers in the Judiciary and Executive arms of government, and broader community empowerment programs.
Gen. Ali said Adjumani District still has several pending priorities. These include attaining municipality status for Adjumani Town Council, construction of a bridge over River Nile to connect Adjumani and Moyo districts, completion of the World Bank-funded multi-billion-shilling Adjumani Water Supply and Sanitation Project, and connection to the national power grid from Karuma hydropower station.
With a political career spanning over five decades, Gen. Moses Ali remains one of Uganda’s most experienced legislators and ministers. He has served in the National Resistance Council (NRC) of 1989, the Constituent Assembly (CA) of 1994, and in the 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and current 11th Parliaments.
He has risen through the government ranks to become First Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament. He has also served as Minister for Finance, Internal Affairs, Tourism, Trade and Industry, Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, among others, making him the longest-serving minister in Uganda’s history.
Gen. Ali’s public service dates back to 1968 when he joined the Uganda Army as a cadet officer, rising to the rank of Four-Star General in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). His historic meeting with President Yoweri Museveni in Tripoli, Libya, in 1981, facilitated by the late President Muammar Gaddafi, laid the foundation for cooperation between the National Resistance Army (NRA) and Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) in their struggle against President Milton Obote’s government.
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