The greatest tribute is not another speech, but a justice system worthy of the ideals he ultimately embraced.

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ADJUMANI | 23 July 2026 — Some tributes are spoken from the podium. Others emerge unexpectedly from history itself.

From where we stood among the thousands gathered in Adjumani District to bid farewell to the Rt. Hon. (Rtd.) Gen. Moses Ali, it was clear that this was more than a funeral. It was a moment where the past and the future of Uganda’s constitutional project converged. Soldier, former rebel leader, peacemaker, statesman, and ultimately an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda—his life was a mirror held up to the nation’s own turbulent journey toward the Rule of Law.

Image: The Late Hon. Rtd. Gen Moses Ali

Among the mourners was the Uganda Law Society (ULS), represented on behalf of its President, Isaac K. Ssemakadde represented by yours truly, the RNB footsoldier, colloqiually referred to by many lawyers as “footsoldier”. The Society had prepared a formal tribute celebrating the General’s remarkable journey. Owing to the constraints of a tightly scheduled state programme, the tribute was received for the official record but was not delivered from the podium.

Find the copy of the ULS euology/condolence message here:

Yet, fate arranged that its central message would still find a voice—not from the lawyers’ table, but from another elder statesman who knew General Moses Ali’s public service intimately.

Speaking later in the programme, Rt. Hon. Baku Raphael Obudra reminded the congregation that the late General had long championed access to justice for West Nile. He recalled, in particular, Ali’s steadfast advocacy for the establishment of a High Court Circuit in Moyo.

Then came a moment that transformed a funeral into a constitutional conversation.

Obudra urged the national leadership to expedite the operationalisation of the already established Moyo High Court Circuit, so that the ideals for which Gen. Moses Ali had worked would finally become a lived reality for the communities he served.

Image: The Rt. Hon. Baku Raphael Obudra. Former Deputy IGG and Acting IGG

The response from the mourners was immediate and unmistakable. Thunderous applause rolled across the funeral grounds. It was more than an appreciation of a speech; it was a collective affirmation of a shared aspiration—a people’s plea for justice brought home.

The Legacy Beyond the Battlefield

Perhaps the most remarkable chapter of Gen. Moses Ali’s life was not that he once led men in war, but that he ultimately placed his faith in the law itself.

History remembers him as a commander of the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF), a movement born from one of the country’s most turbulent chapters. But history did not end there. He was a signatory to peace, a senior cabinet minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Member of Parliament, and, in his later years, an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda.

To become an Advocate after commanding armies is to acknowledge that the most enduring victories are not won by force, but by institutions that outlive those who build them. His personal evolution mirrors Uganda’s own constitutional journey—from the trauma of conflict toward the promise of governance under law.

History repeatedly teaches that when societies fail to create credible constitutional avenues through which competing ideas may be expressed and resolved, grievances often migrate from the courtroom to the battlefield. Uganda’s Constitution was designed to prevent precisely that. It invites citizens to settle disagreements through elections rather than insurgency, through parliamentary debate rather than violence, through independent courts rather than mob justice.

But that promise remains unfinished.

The Moyo High Court: A Living Memorial

The legal instrument establishing the Moyo High Court Circuit is already in force. Yet, for many residents of West Nile, accessing the High Court still requires a gruelling journey of approximately 200 kilometres to Arua; a burden measured not only in distance, but in transport costs, missed wages, delayed hearings, abandoned claims, and justice indefinitely deferred.

Operationalising the Moyo Circuit would therefore achieve far more than administrative decentralisation. It would honour a vision that General Ali championed. It would restore public confidence in a judiciary that is visibly present and accessible. It would bring constitutional justice closer to the very people the Constitution exists to protect.

Great nations honour their heroes not merely by remembering their names, but by strengthening the institutions for which they stood. Individuals pass from history. Institutions carry history forward. A High Court that dispenses justice to future generations would therefore become a more enduring monument than any statue erected in bronze.

The Radical New Bar’s Continuing Conversation

The conversation that unfolded at the funeral resonates with principles long advanced by the Radical New Bar—that justice depends upon institutions that are independent, accountable, and accessible to every citizen.

These are not abstract ideals. They determine whether citizens trust courts over confrontation, advocacy over intimidation, and constitutional dialogue over conflict. As when by Malcom X, When societies fail to provide peaceful and credible avenues for resolving competing interests, instability often follows. The better path is the constitutional path: independent courts, fearless Advocates, judicial accountability, and a public square where ideas compete freely without fear.

Finishing the Journey

If Uganda truly wishes to honour Gen. Moses Ali, let us ensure that his commitment to access to justice becomes a lived reality.

Let the Moyo High Court Circuit open its doors without further delay.
Let judicial independence remain sacrosanct.
Let lawyers continue to defend the Constitution fearlessly.
Let the Rule of Law stand stronger than the Rule of Force.

A journey from conflict to reconciliation.
From force to law.
From exclusion to access.
From memory to justice.

For the greatest tribute to any statesman is not the eloquence of our eulogies—it is the courage to finish the work that he began.

If the life of General Moses Ali teaches us anything, it is this: the Rule of Law is the final victory over the Rule of Force. Let that victory now find a permanent home in Moyo.

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Enen Ambrose. Advocate

Member, Judiciary Affairs Committee,

Uganda Law Society

& Founder–Enen Legal World

Justice Ignited. Courage Unleashed.

www.enenlegalworld.com | enen@enenlegalworld.com

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