Muslim Martyrs Day shunned over Shs17m debt row
The inaugural national Muslim Martyrs Day celebrations on June 10th were held at Old Kampala Mosque, not the planned Namugongo Muslim Martyrs Shrine.
This last-minute shift occurred because Muslim leaders across the country largely shunned the event at Namugongo due to an unresolved controversy between the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) and the administration of the Namugongo Mosque.
Sulaiman Kiggundu, head of Hijjah and Umrah at Namugongo Mosque, explained the core dispute – a Shs 17 million debt owed by UMSC. This debt stems from paving work done at the shrine premises in preparation for the event and meant to be funded from the Shs 200 million allocated by the government.
“The Supreme Council requested us to get service providers, pave the Mosque premises and they will be paid later but we were shocked to hear that the event was shifted to Old Kampala,” Kiggundu said, adding “on Monday we were surprised to hear that the event has been shifted from Namugongo the UMSC headquarters. The Namugongo team has been expecting money for organizing the event and for more than ten days, we got no response from UMSC.”
According to Kiggundu, instead of payment, UMSC officials visited on Sunday proposing demolition of a school on the site. The Namugongo team rejected this, arguing the school wasn’t built by UMSC. Then, on Monday, “they deployed goons riding on Motorcycles armed with sticks and hammers to go and demolish the school, but we alerted security who deployed the armed Police and Military men to secure the place.”
Kiggundu emphasized their stance when UMSC inquired again on Monday about holding the event at Namugongo.
“Unless the Shs.17m was paid, no function would take place there because that would remain as a debt for the Mosque and yet the Ministry of Tourism released the Shs 200m for holding the function this year,” the UMSC was told.
Consequently, the main event commenced at Old Kampala Mosque.
Scheduled for 8 am, it started almost at midday. The audience primarily consisted of students from various schools. The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, arrived with his delegation, officially starting the event which featured preaching on the history of the Muslim Martyrs and entertainment from schools and Matari groups.
The Third Deputy Prime Minister, Rukia Nakadama, who officiated, warned Muslims against mixing politics and religion.
“Majority of Ugandans were not aware about the Muslim Martyrs thinking only about Catholics and Protestants and doing this they think we have just created it,” she said.
Nakadama stressed unity and presidential support “if we are to reclaim the encroached upon land, we have to be united as Muslims and talk to the president who is willing to support Muslims to construct something better.”
Mubaje confirmed Namugongo is the designated site for celebrations.
“Namugogo is the official place where the commemoration of Muslim martyrs must be held every year but because of some circumstances they shifted to Old Kampala. This year’s commemoration was supposed to be held in Namugongo as we had agreed on earlier, but we did not manage to clear the required space for the event as we had planned,” he said.
Mubaje expressed hope for next year.
“We expect to have next year’s commemoration in Namugongo after putting in place whatever is required to have big numbers in one place.”
75 Muslims were martyred on orders of Kabaka Mutesa in the 1870s after they despised him since he was circumcised and yet in the Buganda culture, a King is not supposed to shed blood.
