Moses Ali
Moses Ali (born 5 April 1939) is a Ugandan politician and retired military officer.[2] He is the First Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament. He was appointed to that position on 6 June 2016.[3] He previously served in the Cabinet of Uganda as Third Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business from May 2011 until June 2016.[4] He has also been the elected Member of Parliament for East Moyo County in Adjumani District since 2011.[5]
Moses Ali | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Citizenship | Uganda |
Alma mater | Makerere University (Bachelor of Laws) Law Development Centre (Diploma in Legal Practice)[1] |
Occupation | Military Officer, Lawyer & Politician |
Years active | 1971 — present |
Known for | Politics, Military |
Home town | Adjumani |
Background and education
Moses Ali hails from Adjumani District, West Nile sub-region, in Northern Uganda. He was born on 5 April 1939.[6] He holds the degree of Bachelor of Laws (LLB), obtained from Makerere University. He also holds the Diploma in Legal Practice, from the Law Development Center in Kampala. Moses Ali also holds qualifications from military educational institutions in Uganda, Israel and the United Kingdom.[5]
Career
Ali was involved in the 1971 Ugandan coup d'état that overthrew President Milton Obote and brought Idi Amin to power. He consequently rose in the ranks during the duration of the Second Republic of Uganda, when Amin ruled the country as military dictator. Ali was appointed Minister of Finance,[6] and used his position to organize an Islamic charity. This garnered him a lot of popular support, but also raised Amin's suspicions,[7] as he feared Ali was attempting to construct a Muslim political base of support.[8] In April 1978, the President organized a meeting in the capital Kampala, where he railed against ministers whom he deemed disloyal, too powerful or incompetent, including Ali. Accusing the Minister of Finance of mismanaging the Bank of Uganda and gross corruption, Amin became so angry during his speech that he threw a trashcan at Ali. Having realized that his situation was untenable, Ali get away as soon as possible. He quietly snuck out of Kampala in his private car and fled to his home in the West Nile region. When got there, however, a group of hitmen attacked him, but he fended them off in a gunfight. Ali was convinced that his downfall and the attempted assassination had been organized by the Uganda Army commander Yusuf Gowon, a long-time rival of his.[7] Amin subsequently stripped him of all of his military honours.[9]
When Amin's regime collapsed during the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978—1979, Ali fled into exile in southern Sudan, finding refuge in Nimule.[10] In the 1980s he led the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) in an armed rebellion against the government of reinstated President Milton Obote,[6] and became a warlord ruling a fief in southern Sudan.[11] Using his influence and military poweress to his advantage, Ali eventually negotiated a favorable deal with Yoweri Museveni who took power as President at the Ugandan Bush War's end in 1986. His forces were integrated into Uganda's new national army, the National Resistance Army which later became the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), and he was appointed a general.[11] As a result of his powerful position in Uganda's new government and military, Ali became highly influential and quite wealthy.[11]
Ali even rose to First Deputy Prime Minister in Museveni's government. He served in the Ugandan Parliament from 2001.[6] He was further promoted to lieutenant general on 13 March 2003,[5][12] but lost both his parliamentary seat and his ministerial appointment in 2006. In 2011, at the age of 72, he regained his position in parliament and was assigned new cabinet responsibilities.[6] In the next year, Ali was once again promoted to four-star general in the UPDF.[2][13] In 2016, following his re-election to parliament, he was again appointed First Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament.[14]
See also
References
Citations
- Ssenkabirwa, Al-Mahdi (9 August 2010). "Army Officials Finally Pass LDC Exams". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- Tegulle, Gawaya (31 July 2012). "General Moses Ali's Promotion: How Did He Earn The Four Stars?". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- Uganda State House (6 June 2015). "Museveni's new cabinet list At 6 June 2016" (PDF). Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- Uganda State House, . (27 May 2011). "Comprehensive List of New Cabinet Appointments & Dropped Ministers". Facebook.com. Retrieved 13 February 2015.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- POU. "Profile of Ali Moses, Member of Parliament for East Moyo County, Adjumani District". Kampala: Parliament of Uganda (POU). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- Natukunda, Carol (24 April 2013). "Amin Played Moses Ali Against Yusuf Gowon". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- Rice 2009, p. 198.
- Kasozi 1994, p. 109.
- Kasozi 1994, p. 122.
- Wren, Christopher S. (13 June 1979). "Ugandan Refugees Finding A Haven in Southern Sudan". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Rice 2009, p. 264.
- Mukiibi, Hellen (23 May 2004). "Museveni Creates New UPDF Generals". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 28 May 2004. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- Mutaizibwa, Emma (18 July 2012). "Moses Ali Joins Exclusive UPDF Generals' Club". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- Uganda State House (6 June 2016). "Uganda's New Cabinet As At 6 June 2016". Scribd.com. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
Works cited
- Kasozi, A.B.K. (1994). Nakanyike Musisi; James Mukooza Sejjengo (eds.). Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964–1985. Montreal; Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-1218-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Rice, Andrew (2009). The Teeth May Smile But the Heart Does Not Forget: Murder and Memory in Uganda. New York City: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-7965-4.