Ali Kony

Ali Ssalongo Kony (born 1 January 1994) is a Ugandan militant, LRA defector, and tuk-tuk driver. He is the son of Joseph Kony.

Life Early life Ali Ssalongo Kony was born in Gulu on 1 January 1994 to Joseph Kony and Medina Akulu. Akulu is Kony's third wife, who was abducted in 1989. At the age of six months, Kony abducted him and his mother to the bush, although his mother was against it since she wanted Ali to go to school instead. He suffered from hearing damage due to the attack when he was a baby. During his childhood, he was raised with around 100 Kony children. He claimed that Kony was kind to his children and took such good care of them. The US Treasury report stipulated that Kony was tasked with negotiating the ivory price and overseeing its distribution to Joseph Kony for selling. Through the ivory trade, the groups received weapons, food, and ammunition.

Apart from being a merchant, he also served as the group's foreign affairs minister, where he was responsible for forging a non-aggression pact, intelligence exchange, and trade with other armed militias who roamed around the LRA's territory. Due to his role in the LRA, the US treasury imposed sanctions on Kony and froze his assets in the US on 23 August 2016 for human rights violations towards civilians in the Central African Republic. However, this claim was unfounded as he was also named in 2017 as a potential successor to lead the LRA in the event his father died.

Defection In June 2021, Ali decided to defect from the LRA due to his discord with his father, who often fought with his mother and his desire to start a new life with his children and wife. During the meeting, Museveni promised that he would provide Ali 30 acres of land, a farm, and a house.

However, the president's promises had not been materialised and they still struggled to adapt to the new lifestyle in February 2025. In November 2025, The Times reported that Ali worked as a tuk-tuk driver and vegetable farmer and kept a low profile.

Personal life Kony is married to a Congolese woman named Cecillia Akullu and the couple has four children. He is fluent in Arabic.