[1] [5] Baluku became a Salafi jihadist at an early age, and formerly served as an Imam at the Malakaz mosque in Kampala, Uganda.

Baluku was one of the earliest members of the Allied Democratic Forces, and served as one of Jamil Mukulu's chief lieutenants.

Unlike his predecessor, Baluku has expanded his outreach into social media in order to recruit more followers,[1] and has publicly aligned the ADF with better-known jihadist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Al-Shabaab.

Baluku has ordered the abduction of children to serve as child soldiers and has presided over mass killings of civilians by firing squad.

Baluku has also been known to consolidate his power within the ADF through brutal intimidation tactics, and has executed suspected dissidents by beheading or crucifixion.