Outgoing UMSC assembly rejects new constitution

A section of outgoing Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) General Assembly members have rejected the newly amended constitution which was ratified by the Assembly early this month.

In a July 25, 2022 letter to President, the disgruntled members claim the UMSC constitution was arbitrarily amended with minimal consultations yet government facilitated the exercise with Shs2.5billion.

“The UMSC Constitution Review Commission employed by Mufti Ramathan Mubajje did not manage to gather views from majority of the Muslim population of Uganda that is estimated at 9million people. The process only captured views of about 4, 845,” the three-paged letter reads in part.

Sources of the letter claim several top members of the assembly including eminent sheikhs were not given chance to express their views on the new constitution during the July 11-13 General Assembly session.

 “This fact disqualifies all the views presented in their most recent General Assembly,” the letter seen by this publication adds.

The 230-member Assembly is the top decision making organ of UMSC, and is responsible for electing key Muslim leaders, including the Mufti.

“There is also a stockpile of exceptionally important files at the UMSC headquarters that ought to have been handled to their logical conclusion before the General Assembly could close her business formally, to the contrary, they remained unresolved and the impact of that is so grave that it shakes the entire house of Islam in the country.

Muslims opposed to the new UMSC constitution have asked Mr Museveni to allow them use Kololo grounds on August 26 “to discuss the unending Muslim leadership wrangles and forge a way forward.”  

Asked to comment on the matter UMSC secretary general, Hajj Ramathan Mugalu defended their actions.

“We traversed the whole country consulting Muslims on the new constitutional amendments and we are very sure majority of Muslims were aware about the exercise,” he said.

Hajj Mugalu added that during the General Assembly, every delegate was given a chance to air their views on the amendments before the final draft constitution was endorsed.

“Majority of the Muslims did not support the qualification issue. We raised the bar for UMSC leaders at all levels and some of those complaining don’t qualify to serve in the next assembly. That is why they are raising dust now,” he told this publication on Friday.

The UMSC General Assembly July 13 ratified the new constitution which gave Mufti Mubajje a new lease of life- concluding seeking reelection.