The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) General Assembly, consisting of 264 members, convened and unanimously suspended Mufti Sheikh Shaban Mubajje for six months. The assembly accused him of running down the council, with the motion to suspend him tabled by Mr. Mudasiru Doka, the West Nile representative.
A court order on December 12 prompted the assembly’s action, following a petition by a group of Muslims seeking to wind up the council. While the court rejected the request, it directed the assembly to take action through its powers. Mr. Abdul-latif Kayanja, the acting spokesperson of the anti-Mubajje faction, stated that the assembly was ordered to appoint a neutral chairperson and find a mutual ground for resolution.
The meeting, presided over by independent chairperson Mr. Badru Arapswale Sabila, saw the UMSC spokesperson, Mr. Ashraf Zziwa, dismissing the resolution to suspend Mubajje as outside the law. The assembly, comprising representatives from 78 Muslim districts, youth delegates, women delegates, and district Khadis, faced internal conflicts regarding the recently amended constitution, which granted Mubajje another eight years in office.
Under the old constitution, Mubajje, with a tenure since December 2000, was expected to step down at 70 in 2025. The new constitution, rejected by many faithful, allows him to contest until he turns 75, as long as he is at least 55 years old. Despite accusations of engaging in dubious land transactions during his 22-year tenure, Mubajje, aged 67, remains eligible to contest the position of mufti.
