Uganda is mourning the death of Phinenas Bwambale Kisokeranio, one of the founding figures and former senior commanders of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), who passed away at Mulago National Referral Hospital at the age of 89. Kisokeranio died on Tuesday at around 2:45am after developing breathing complications that led to his admission to hospital.

According to his son, Zostine Kiongozi Tumusiime Kisokeranio, his father was first admitted to Mt St Mary’s Hospital on Saturday before being referred to Mulago on Sunday after doctors discovered that his blood pressure was dangerously high. Despite receiving medical attention, he died in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving his family devastated.

Kisokeranio had reportedly been receiving treatment for prostate cancer and had shown considerable improvement before his health suddenly deteriorated. His death marks the end of a remarkable and controversial life that saw him move between rebellion, military leadership, government service and, eventually, peacebuilding efforts in the Rwenzori region.

Born in 1937 in Kitholhu Sub-county, Kasese District, Kisokeranio became involved in resistance movements in the Rwenzori during the early 1960s. He initially worked closely with Isaya Mukirania, the founding leader of the Rwenzururu resistance movement, serving as his guide and de facto deputy. He later separated from the movement but remained involved in the struggle for political and administrative changes in the region.

One of his notable historical contributions was participating in a delegation of 15 people that met then President Idi Amin in 1973 to demand the creation of Kasese District. The district was eventually established in 1974. He later entered government service and was appointed chairperson of the Kasese District Land Board around 1987, but his relationship with the government did not last. Around 1988, he joined Amon Bazira and Richard Kinyamusithu in forming the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU).

Following Bazira’s assassination in Kenya and Kinyamusithu’s death, Kisokeranio reportedly took over as NALU’s overall commander in 1993. The group later joined forces with the Uganda Muslim Liberation Army (UMLA), forming the Allied Democratic Forces. This made Kisokeranio one of the founding commanders of the rebel organisation that went on to wage a prolonged insurgency against the Ugandan government, with its activities later extending into the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After spending more than 27 years in the jungles of eastern DR Congo, Kisokeranio voluntarily returned to Uganda on March 24, 2015, following efforts by his children to convince him to come home. His son said the family eventually succeeded in tracing him and persuading him to surrender to security authorities, after which he was granted amnesty. He subsequently began a process of rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

In his later years, Kisokeranio became involved in peacebuilding activities through the Kasese Peace Centre, where he reportedly lived from 2022. He used his experience as a former rebel commander to encourage fighters still operating in the jungles to abandon armed struggle and return home. According to peacebuilding activist Johncation Muhindo, about 218 former rebels from Uganda, DR Congo, Burundi and Tanzania had passed through the centre since 2022. Kisokeranio is expected to be buried at his son’s home in Kighando Cell, Nyamambuka Ward, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council, in Kasese District.