Ugandan court asked to nullify Gen Moses Ali’s candidacy over health concerns
Uganda’s Constitutional Court has received a petition challenging the nomination of retired General Moses Ali as the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer for Adjumani West Constituency, citing his advanced age, frail health, and alleged physical incapacity.
Writer and self-exiled activist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and human rights defender Ssuuna James Kiggala, through their lawyers of Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates, lists the NRM, the Electoral Commission, and the Attorney General as co-respondents alongside Gen Ali, who currently serves as the Second Deputy Prime Minister and deputy leader of government business in parliament.
According to the petitioners, the nomination and endorsement of Gen Ali to contest for re-election in his current state violates the citizens’ constitutional right to effective and accountable representation.
“The idea and spectacle of nominating the 1st Respondent (Gen Ali) was an embarrassing and unconstitutional act,” the petition seen by Monitor on Tuesday reads in part.
“The visibly frail, weak and barely audible 1st Respondent could not speak, write, move unaided or do anything that would normally be required of a Member of Parliament,” the petitioners added.
Court documents indicate that Gen Ali was nominated by NRM electoral chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi, on June 17, 2025, from his car due to ill health. The party later confirmed his nomination as flag bearer on July 18, 2025, after he reportedly won the primaries with 8,609 votes.
The petitioners further state that the Electoral Commission officially nominated Gen Ali on October 22, 2025, as the NRM candidate for Adjumani West, despite his visible frailty.
They contend that the Electoral Commission and the Attorney General failed in their constitutional duties by approving and facilitating the nomination of a person allegedly incapable of executing the functions of a legislator.
“The continued approval or facilitation of the 1st respondent’s candidacy by the 3rd and 4th respondents violates the constitutional duty to organise and ensure free and fair elections,” the petition reads.
“The people of Adjumani West and other Ugandans are entitled to effective, accountable and meaningful representation in governance, not symbolic representation.”
Kakwenza and Kiggala are seeking for Constitutional Court to declare that Gen Ali’s candidacy and potential parliamentary tenure in his current health state contravene Articles 1, 8A, 17, 38, and 79 of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution.
They also seek a declaration that a person who is “visibly and physically frail, immobile and inaudible” is constitutionally unfit to serve as a Member of Parliament.
In addition, the petitioners want the court to direct Parliament and the Electoral Commission to establish minimum physical fitness standards for all candidates seeking elective offices, arguing that such criteria are essential to protect the integrity of Uganda’s democratic institutions.
The petition further prays for an order halting Gen. Ali’s nomination and tenure, a permanent injunction restraining him from serving as MP, and a directive for fresh elections in Adjumani West Constituency.
In his supporting affidavit, Kiggala, who describes himself as a human rights activist and Executive Director of Freedom Hive Uganda, recounts that Gen Ali appeared too weak to stand or speak during nomination.
“The position of MP is constitutionally and functionally demanding, requiring active participation in debates, physical attendance, constituency engagements, and the ability to articulate constituents’ concerns. The 1st respondent is visibly unable to perform these duties,” Kiggala states in the affidavit, attaching photographs of the nomination event.
Kiggala argues that allowing a person in Gen Ali’s condition to hold parliamentary office would amount to “constructive disenfranchisement” of the people of Adjumani West.
The petitioners are seeking eight reliefs, including declarations nullifying Gen Ali’s candidacy, halting his tenure, and directing the establishment of physical competence benchmarks for elective officeholders.
They also seek costs of the petition and any other orders the court may deem fit in the interest of justice, constitutionalism, and good governance.
The Constitutional Court is yet to fix a hearing date for the petition, and Gen Ali has yet to comment on the development, although he has previously scoffed at critics urging him to step down from elective politics.
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