UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | In a surprising turn of events, President Yoweri Museveni has personally appealed to Chief Justice Alfonse Owinyi-Dollo to review a recent decision by the High Court and Court of Appeal, permitting the auction of properties belonging to the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).
The contentious decision has sparked concern as it includes significant religious sites such as the National Mosque in Old Kampala.
President Museveni, in a letter dated December 7, expressed astonishment at the court’s ruling, especially with regard to attaching the National Mosque due to debts incurred by specific individuals.
The President urged Chief Justice Owinyi-Dollo to personally examine the courts decision which was permitting the sale of muslim properties and rectify what he perceived as a lapse in judgment.
“I was most surprised to read in Mufti Mubajje’s letter that among the Moslem properties to be affected is the National Mosque at Old Kampala!! Really!! What sane person, let alone a Judge can make such orders? How can a Mosque or Church be attached for debts carelessly entered into by officials of that faith? If there is no law protecting Institutions of Worship, then common sense is there. I, therefore, request you to review this matter yourself and see how to restore sanity,” he said.
“His Eminence Mubaje alleges other examples of misconduct and collusion. You should study all those. What, however, provoked me was the audacity of attaching the National Mosque. The NRM freedom fighters and the government they head, cannot be associated with sick logic,” Museveni’s letter adds.
This intervention comes after the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, raised grievances about the handling of the case, accusing the judiciary of various forms of misconduct and collusion.
Museveni’s letter emphasised the gravity of the situation, particularly the audacity of attaching a place of worship for debts entered into by individuals within the faith.
The President questioned the legal and logical basis for such an order and called for a restoration of sanity in the matter.
The letter followed Mubajje’s petition to the President on November 29, expressing dissatisfaction with the judiciary’s handling of the case.
The controversy originated from a 2020 agreement in which UMSC, through its former Secretary General Ramathan Mugalu, Mufti Shaban Ramathan Mubajje, and the late chairperson Abdulkadir Idi Balonde, sold two square miles of land in Ssembabule district to businessman Justus Kyabahwa for 3.584 billion Shillings.
However, the land already had a 15-year lease, making the transfer impossible, and the money remained unpaid, accumulating to the current debt of 19 billion Shillings.
In August, the High Court permitted the attachment of several UMSC properties to facilitate Kyabahwa’s recovery of the owed amount.
These properties include the National Mosque, among others. The recent Court of Appeal decision temporarily halting the auction highlighted irregularities and malice in the attachment orders, providing a temporary reprieve for UMSC.
President Museveni’s intervention reflects his concern over the potential repercussions of auctioning religious properties and his commitment to upholding the sanctity of places of worship.
The call for a review emphasises the need for a fair and just resolution that considers the religious and legal implications of the case.
The outcome of Chief Justice Owinyi-Dollo’s review will likely have far-reaching effects on the legal standing of the auction and set a precedent for the treatment of religious properties in financial disputes.
The Muslim community, as well as the wider public, awaits the resolution of this sensitive and complex matter that intertwines legal, religious, and ethical considerations.
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