Witness pins Kamoga on sheikhs murder

KAMPALA. A Muslim cleric yesterday told court that the threats Sheikh Yunus Kamoga allegedly uttered during their conversation led to the killing of Muslim leaders.
Mr Yasiin Kakomo said this during re-examination by the state prosecutor, Lino Anguzu. Kakomo had testified that Sheikh Kamoga had told him during a conversation that “if it is to shed blood, I will kill them (rival Muslim leaders), they are joking, they have never killed. Even if it is during day time I can kill.”
Mr Anguzu asked him whether he still took Kamoga’s threats as not being serious as he had told the defence lawyers earlier during cross-examination. Kakomo answered in the negative.
“…These threats could have caused problems because shortly after our discussion at his office in Nakasero where he uttered those bitter words, we began seeing our brothers dying,” Kakomo told court.
However, the 22nd prosecution witness, during cross-examination, was unable to tell court whether he saw Sheikh Kamoga or any of the other accused persons shoot the deceased sheikhs although he said fliers with names of deceased were distributed at a seminar in Kamoga’s presence. He said the fliers included names of the targeted sheikhs: Mustafa Bahiga, Hassan Kirya, Haruna Jjemba and that of Buganda Prince Kassim Nakibinge, Ssonko Najjib and Sheikh Muhamood Kibaate.
Court also heard that fliers with pictures of the deceased were issued during a seminar organised by Sheikh Kamoga although the witness said he had not seen who distributed them.
The trial is before the International Crimes Division of the High Court presided over by a panel of three justices led by Ezekiel Muhanguzi.
Kakomo told court he met Kamoga in three capacities when asked by one of the defence lawyers Mr Twaha Mayanja.
“I met Kamoga as a middle man, a good friend and as a leader of Muslims,” Kakomo told court.
He said he had not given his evidence in bad faith but to throw light on the wrangles between the deceased sheikhs and Sheikh Kamoga’s faction which he said were the source of the assassinations.
He said the Quran obliges them to give evidence on what they know or have seen.
The hearing continues today and the prosecution is expected to produce more witnesses.

The case
Kamoga and his co-accused are charged with murder, attempted murder, crimes against humanity and terrorism. The prosecution states that immediately after the killing of Sheikh Bahiga, a third set of fliers was printed and distributed in the same mosques. The fliers contained names and photographs of the people in the second flier except that the name and photographers of the late Bahiga had been omitted and instead replaced by that of Prince Kasim Nakibinge.

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