I know why sheikhs were killed, says witness

KAMPALA.

One of the sheikhs who narrowly survived assassination in the syndicated killings of other Muslim leaders two years ago yesterday cited leadership wranglers as the cause of the murders.

Dr Haruna Jjemba, a lecturer of Religion and Peace at Makerere University, told court that the friction among rival Muslim factions escalated when Sheikh Yunus Kamoga, one of the accused in the assassinations, refused to hand over power to the Kampala District Amir after the executive committee of Jamiatul-Dawa-Issalafia had removed him from office.

Sheikh Jjemba told court that court that Jamiatul-Dawa Issalafia was a religious organisation which Kamoga and others had created to teach Islam and the Quran.

Sheikh Jjemba was testifying as the 15th prosecution witness before the International Crimes Division of the High Court presided over by a three-judge panel led by Justice Ezekiel Muhanguzi.

He said Sheikh Kamoga was removed from office because of insubordination, creation of antagonistic cliques.

“When Kamoga was relieved of his duties, he refused to leave the chair insisting that he could not just be removed like that,” Dr Jjemba told court
“When we told him (Kamoga) that it would be better we use the Qur’an as our judge, he told us to keep reading and rejected our settlement,” he added.

Dr Jjemba further informed court that later on, he and a group of other Muslims including the two slain sheikhs Mustafa Bahiga and Hassan Ibrahim Kirya decided to break away from Sheikh Kamoga’s leadership.

Shortly after mentioning the late Bahiga’s name, Sheikh Jjemba became emotional and broke down in the dock. He later composed himself and continued with his testimony by telling court that on the fateful day of December 28, 2014, while attending Darasa teachings at Wandegeya Mosque, the late Bahiga told the congregation that they were having unusual visitors in their midst and indeed on looking at the Mosque’s door, he saw unfamiliar faces.

Dr Jjemba, who is the current Kampala District Amir, also narrated how his home in Wattuba, Matugga in Wakiso District, was attacked by unknown armed assailants who exchanged fire with his bodyguard given to him by the government at the height of the assassinations.

He further told court of how flyers were distributed in various mosques bearing names of the sheikhs on the hit list. Among those on the hit list were the murdered sheikhs Bahiga, Kirya, Muhamood Kibaate, Buganda Prince Kassim Nakibinge and one Ssonko Najjib.

He further said the green flyers bore the picture of Sheikh Jjemba with Luganda words showing that he was the Amir who should be eliminated. The 60-year old lecturer also identified about four of the suspects in court including the leader of Tabliq Sect Sheikh Kamoga. He said at one time, someone called to tell him that his neck was ripe for a chop.

Vendor testifies
Earlier in the day, a fruit vendor had recounted to court the last moments she had with the late Sheikh Kirya before he was killed by people riding a boda boda in Bweyogerere in June last year.Ms Afuwa Namugenyi told court that on the fateful evening of June 30, 2015 while she was still at her fruits stall in Bweyogerere, the late Sheikh Kirya came to buy some items from her as he had always done for three years.