Muslims from 75 mosques in Luweero Muslim district have refused to participate in voter registration exercise ahead of the elections organized by Uganda Muslim Supreme Council—UMSC.
The UMSC Election commissioner for Luweero, Yasin Doka Sulaiman, says that during the 8 day voters’ registration exercise that ended on Monday, they managed to register 112 out of 187 mosques.
Doka says that some of the mosques who shunned the exercise include Luweero Bagalana, Kiwogozzi, Kalongo, Butuntumula, Kinubbi, Kikyusa Noor, and Wakivule among others.
He explained that UMSC called mosque Imams to pick registration forms but they declined to respond until the closure of the exercise on Monday. Doka says that those who declined were misled by the Kibuli-based faction of Sheikh Zubair Kayongo, who claims to be the Supreme Mufti. The UMSC faction subscribes to Mufti Shaban Mubajje. Doka accuses says the Kibuli faction fears to lose their mosque leadership posts through the elections because they are less popular.
The Luweero UMSC Returning officer Khalid Musisi says that 112 presiding officers have been trained and they are prepared to conduct the elections slated for Friday April 27th. He added that the Friday exercise will be for mosque committees. On April 30th, UMSC will hold another round of elections for County leadership while on May 3rd, Muslims will vote for district leadership.
Khalid Musisi adds that they are yet to seek police protection but vowed that the elections will go on at all costs.
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But the UMSC officials couldn’t avail the registered electorates for the exercise claiming that they were still compiling the data.
Sheikh Kayongo’s spokesperson in Luweero, Sheikh Musa Kakande however, insisted that there was no single mosque in the district that participated in the voter registration and challenged the UMSC officials to display voters’ registers from those mosques they claim to have registered to participate in the election.
Kakande claims that the Old Kampala leadership lacks moral authority to organize free and fair elections and every Muslim who will participate in it will be committing treason against his religious values because the exercise is a sham.
Kakande warned the presiding officers not to step at the mosques in pretext of conducting the elections or else they will face the wrath of Muslims.
Hassan Mugagga, a member of Kasana-Luweero mosque which UMSC claims to have registered told URN Reporter that he will not participate in the elections because he rejected the organizers for engaging in dubious deals of selling Muslim properties.
The Luweero District Police Commander, Samuel Bamuzibire says that his office has not got a request to provide security during the exercise.
Luweero Muslim district comprises of Luweero and Nakaseke.
