Kamoga’s gov’t ties unsettle Tabligh community

By Our Reporter

Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga’s disclosure of his close working relationship with the government has stirred unease within the Muslim Tabligh community, with some members questioning whether the Amir Ummah can continue to lead the group effectively while maintaining such ties with the state.

The concerns surfaced after Kamoga, leader of the Jamuiyyat Da-awah Tabligh Assalafiyya (JDTS), told a congregation at the close of the three-day Sunnah Darus Gaggadde 2026 gathering in Kasangati, Wakiso District, that he was in close contact with the government and, specifically, President Yoweri Museveni.

His remarks appeared to bring into the open a relationship that had been the subject of speculation within sections of the Tabligh community for months, prompting questions about the implications of the engagement for his leadership and the group’s relationship with the government.

“I don’t want you to mistake my collaboration with the state for being a spy, no,” Kamoga told the congregation.

He went public about his working relationship with the government months after speculation had spread within the Tabligh community, with some members openly questioning whether the Amir Ummah could still be trusted.

In his address, Kamoga appeared to respond to the sceptics, emphasising that he had consulted the JDTS leadership before taking the decision to work closely with the government.

“I briefed the leadership to seek their consent, and all except one gave a nod of approval,” he said, without naming the lone dissenter.

Kamoga said the engagement was intended to create an environment conducive to Muslims freely exercising their right to worship. He also cautioned clerics within the Tabligh community against using the pulpit to attack the government.

“If there is any issue we are not happy with, we now have an open channel through which we can present our grievances to the government for an amicable resolution,” he said.

“Those who have been saying that I am silent on so many things, I want to tell you that it is useless for me to stand before a mosque congregation, make a speech to incite you, yet I speak directly with the President. He regularly calls me,” Kamoga added.

The most contentious issues affecting the community include the cases of dozens of young sheikhs facing various high-profile charges and the mysterious killings of Muslim clerics in different parts of the country between 2012 and 2021.

Kamoga argues that such issues can be addressed through proper channels rather than through speeches critical of the government that won’t yield any tangible results.

KAKEETO INSULTS

On TikTok, the global short-form video-sharing and social networking platform, several users expressed disapproval of Kamoga’s relationship with the government.

One user, Hassanderocks, questioned why the Nakasero group had for years accused Kamoga’s rival, Sheikh Sulaiman Kakeeto, of having close ties with the government, while Kamoga is now openly acknowledging a similar relationship.

Kakeeto is the Amir Dawlah and leader of the rival Uganda Muslim Tabligh Community, based at the Clock Tower grounds in Kampala.

He was expelled from Nakasero after Kamoga’s followers, who had at the time been encamped in a makeshift mosque on Market Street, staged a late-night raid on the Nakasero mosque.

The Kamoga group claimed it had received information that Kakeeto was planning to demolish the mosque to pave the way for its redevelopment by a Kampala businessman.

Some community members, however, believe Kamoga is being unfairly judged.

Sheikh Siraj Kifampa Nsambu urged critics to consider Kamoga’s perspective before condemning his engagement with the government.

“We need to put ourselves in his shoes to understand his viewpoint. Once we get to understand his position, we will stop blaming him,” Kifampa said.

Kifampa himself was arrested in 2015 and convicted of terrorism-related charges by the International Crimes Division in 2017, amid internal leadership wrangles. The Court of Appeal later overturned the conviction and set him free.