The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Shiekh Haruna Jemba, a Muslim cleric who survived being murdered, on Thursday told the International Crimes Division Court that leadership wrangles among the Tabliq sect sparked off a series of killings across the country in 2014 and 2015.
Shiekh Jemba, a lecturer of religion and peace at Makerere University, is the 15th prosecution witness to testify against 14 people accused of being behind these killings, including Tabliq leader Amir Umar Shiekh Mohammed Yonus Kamoga.
Shiekh Jemba told a penal of three judges led by Justice Ezekiel Muhanguzi, that him and a group of others including the deceased Sheikhs Mustafa Bahiga and Hassan Kirya, decided to break away from Kamoga’s leadership, for alleged refused to hand over power as the Kampala District Amir. This was after having been relieved of his duties on claims of insubordination, creating small groups to fight each other, and forceful taking over the administration of different mosques.
Jemba also broke down as he narrated to court that last days he had with Sheikh Bahiga the most vivid one being December 28, 2014 when he was killed.
Jemba, the current Amir, told court that his home in Matugga was attacked by assassins on the night of July 4, 2015 four days after the murder of Sheikh Kirya.
He revealed that papers were thrown in different mosques around Kampala bearing several names of sheikhs who were to be killed including him, the murderd clerics, Buganda Prince Kassim Nakibinge, Ssonko Najjib and Shiekh Muhamood Kibaate.
That these flyers were green in colour, bearing the picture of Jemba with luganda words branding him as the Amir of the disabled and accusing him of stealing and selling Muslim wealth.
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editor@independent.co.ug
