Uganda’s 86-year-old Second Deputy Prime Minister, General Moses Ali, has ignited public debate across the continent after being nominated to contest for the Adjumani West parliamentary seat under the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) — despite battling ill health.

Ali, a veteran soldier, lawyer, and longtime parliamentarian, has served in Uganda’s Parliament for over two and a half decades. His nomination, made while seated in his car due to illness and inability to collect his nomination papers in person, has stirred a wave of discussion online and among political commentators. The moment, widely shared on social media, has prompted renewed debate about leadership renewal and succession planning within the NRM.

Born in April 1939, General Ali is a prominent figure in Ugandan politics. He currently serves as the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament. Over the years, he has held several senior positions including Uganda’s Third Deputy Prime Minister and later, First Deputy Prime Minister.

Ali was a key figure in Uganda’s political upheavals. He participated in the 1971 coup d’état that ousted President Milton Obote and brought Idi Amin to power. He was later appointed Minister of Finance but fell out of favour with Amin, who once publicly humiliated him by throwing a trashcan at him while accusing him of corruption.

Following his fallout with Amin, Ali went on to lead the Ugandan National Rescue Front during the Bush War. His forces were later absorbed into the new National Resistance Army (NRA), the forerunner of today’s Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).

As Uganda prepares for elections in January next year, political eyes are again on President Yoweri Museveni, who is expected to be nominated by the NRM to face off against Robert Kyagulanyi (popularly known as Bobi Wine) of the National Unity Platform (NUP).

Moses Ali’s nomination symbolizes the intersection of history and present-day politics in Uganda — raising questions not only about age and ability, but also about the direction of Uganda’s democracy and its leadership future.