Kony’s Son Abandons UPDF Dream After Nearly Two Years Without Deployment

Ali Saloongo Kony, the son of fugitive Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony, says he has abandoned hopes of serving in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) after waiting nearly two years without deployment following military training.

Saloongo, who defected from the LRA in 2021 and returned to Uganda in 2023 with his family, underwent a seven-month Senior Non-Commissioned Officers training course at Gaddafi Military Barracks in Jinja last year. However, he says he has never been assigned duties or formally integrated into the army.

Speaking over the weekend, the former rebel commander expressed disappointment over what he described as prolonged silence from the military despite successfully completing the course.

He said he has spent months at home without receiving deployment instructions and now sees little value in pursuing a military career. Instead, he has turned his attention to farming and other income-generating activities to support himself.

Saloongo questioned why other trainees have reportedly been assigned responsibilities while he remains inactive, saying the uncertainty has left him frustrated and discouraged.

UPDF Fourth Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Felix Busizoori suggested that part of the dispute may stem from expectations surrounding rank and integration into the force.

According to Busizoori, Saloongo wanted recognition equivalent to the brigadier rank he held within the LRA, something the army could not automatically grant.

The general noted that military promotions follow established procedures and training progression, adding that ranks are earned through service and cannot simply be transferred from a rebel movement into the national army.

Busizoori said he could not immediately confirm whether Saloongo receives any salary or allowances from the UPDF but promised to follow up on the matter.

Saloongo remains one of the highest-profile defectors from Joseph Kony’s rebel group. Before leaving the LRA, he held senior positions and reportedly coordinated security operations for rebel forces operating across parts of Central African Republic and Sudan.

His comments come as Uganda continues to receive former LRA fighters and abductees who have abandoned the rebel movement. In recent weeks, several former combatants, women, and children linked to the group have been repatriated to Uganda.

Joseph Kony, who remains in hiding, is still wanted by the International Criminal Court on multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the insurgency in northern Uganda.