The Tabliq Muslim sect says it will not appoint a new leader to replace Sheikh Yahaya Ramathan Mwanje, arrested over last weekend’s killing of Major Muhammad Kiggundu.
Sheikh Mwanje has been the leader (Amir Ummah) of the Jamiat Daawa Assalafiya group, which is commonly known in Muslim circles as the Tabliq. He has acted in the position since the 2014 arrest of the former Tabliq sect leader Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga over the fatal shooting of former Kampala district Amir Mustapha Bahiga and the former spokesperson of the Kibuli Muslim faction, Sheikh Ibrahim Hassan Kirya.
Speaking after Zuhr prayers at Nakasero mosque on Monday, the spokesperson of the Muslim sect, Sheikh Abdulhamid Mbaziira, demanded that police release their leader unconditionally or charge him in court.
“We are not going to appoint another leader as we have been doing. There won’t be anybody to talk to. We appoint, you arrest; we appoint, you arrest… until when? If government thinks that we should have a leader, then let it appoint for us one,” said an angry Mbaziira, while briefing hundreds of faithful that had turned up at the mosque to be briefed about the next step.
Mbaziira castigated security agencies, which he said are acting on rumours to arrest Muslim leaders after the death of fellow Muslim leaders.
“Security sometimes can become insecurity. Why should you act basing on rumours? We have never come out to beg for amnesty but what we want is thorough investigations to know who is killing us,” he said.
Mbaziira added, “This is not the first time that government is arresting people and then releasing them for lack of evidence. Police should stop being partisan in this matter. They should first investigate before they arrest people.”
For his part, the secretary general of the group, Ayub Nyende, said they are going to institute legal proceedings against fellow sheiks and some media houses for alleging that while Mwanje was preaching on Friday last week at Nakasero mosque, he demanded for the heads of four people, including that of the now slain Kiggundu.
“Sheikh Mwanje told me to open up a case against anyone who has been saying that he asked for the heads of four people. We want them to produce that tape because we also have a recording of that sermon,” he said.
Nyende wondered why police is not pursuing other clues surrounding Kiggundu’s murder, like the one offered by the widow Maama Fiina (Sophia Namutebi), who said her husband had showed her threatening messages sent to his phone.
“Government recently ordered us to register our phones. Let them investigate who is the owner of the phone number. Even if it is a private number, there is technology that can help us to know who the owner is,” Nyende said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Hajji Nsereko Mutumba, wondered why government only seems interested in the death of Bahiga and Kirya. He said 16 sheikhs have so far been killed in a similar manner across the countrybut nothing is hitherto known about their killers.
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