The Police on Tuesday deployed heavily at Gaddafi National Mosque ahead of the Uganda Muslims Supreme Council’s General Assembly.
The 230-member General Assembly, which is the top decision-making organ of UMSC, is expected to among other things adopt the new constitution and also release a new roadmap for the election of new Muslim leaders.
However, the meeting is coming amid heightened tensions at the Muslim headquarters with a section of concerned Muslim leaders calling for the resignation of Mufti Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, Secretary-General, Ramathan Mugalu and Chairman of the national executive committee, Hajj Abdul Naduli.
According to the leaders, the tenure of the UMSC executive already expired and is not eligible to transact any business on behalf of UMSC.
“The acting chairperson UMSC executive committee) therefore has no powers whatsoever to convene a general assembly, actually, currently, he has no constitutional general assembly to be convened,” a joint statement issued on June 9 by Hajj Hussein Kule, Sheikh Ahmad Barongo, reads in part.
Both Hajj Kule and Sheikh Barongo claim that the only procedure for constituting a general assembly is through an election organized by the UMSC Electoral Commission, which is currently not in place thus creating a constitutional crisis.
In a new document dated July 8, a section of concerned Muslims noted that the current constitutional crisis can only be solved through a nationwide consultative approach to realign the administration and management of UMSC with a vision of forming a Muslim transitional administration.
By 8: 00 am police had already deployed officers from the Anti-Terrorism Unit, and Field Force Unit at the main gate of the mosque and many others in different areas in the compound of the mosque. At the gate, only delegates and staff of the mosque were allowed inside.
Journalists who had earlier been allowed inside the Mosque were later chased out.
Hajji Issa Wakinyankali, a delegate from Jinja, noted that several people who are against the unity of Muslims are creating tension.
Ashiraf Zziwa, the UMSC Spokesperson also refuted the allegations that there is an intention to impeach the Mufti, National Chairperson and the Secretary. Zziwa said that the General Assembly will spend two days scrutinizing the draft UMSC constitution.
According to Zziwa, the petition is rooted in the recent events concerning the Secretary-General who had been suspended by the national executive committee over failure to give accountability on several properties, and funds.
Zziwa explains that the matter was later settled by the Joint Session which is comprised of the College of Sheikhs (Majlis Ulama) and members National Executive Committee which tasked him to provide answers to all the queries that had been raised.
On the heavy deployment, Zziwa noted that police officers had been put in the place to provide security to the top organ of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council.