KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council-UMSC has appointed Hon. Muhammad Ali Aluma as the acting Council Secretary General for the next three months commencing April 5, 2023.
The members under the stewardship of Al-hajj Prof. Dr Muhamadi Lubega Kisambira, the UMSC National Chairperson reached the decision following findings from a five-member team appointed by the Joint Session Committee (executive and College of Sheikhs – Al Majlis Ulama) on April 1, 2023, to investigate the validity of the contract of Dr. Ramathan Mugalu, the former UMSC Secretary as he had claimed.
The team chaired by Counsel Musa Kabega authored a nine-page report indicating that the tenure of Dr Mugalu had long expired following his nomination and appointment by a similar organ on Jan 21, 2015, in line with the UMSC Constitution.
Counsel Dr Adam Rajab Makmot Kibwanga read the report to the attentive members who later deliberated the findings and resolved to appoint an acting Secretary General pending the election of a substantive office holder within three months.
Hajj Muhamood Kateregga and Muhammad Ali Aluma were presented as candidates, and at the end, Hon Aluma was elected and sworn in for the position by Mr Were Abubaker Wadangho the UMSC Independent Electoral Commission Chairperson.
Mr Aluma, a lawyer by profession, has been working with the UMSC education department.
Earlier on ten newly appointed Regional representatives to the Property & Endowment(Awqaf) under the chairmanship of Hon.Counsel Mugaino Abubakar and his Deputy Hajj Jamada Luuta Musoke were sworn in.
Others sworn in were 21 members of the Muslim Arbitration & Conciliation Committee under Sheikh Abdu Obeid Kamulegeya and Sheikh Luutu Sulaiman Wandera. The committee is mainly comprised of former Muslim leaders including Sheikh Hussein Rajab Kakooza among other prominent elderly Sheikhs.
In his speech, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Mufti of Uganda described the newly amended UMSC Constitution as a bitter pill, which aims at curing Administrative illnesses that had affected the well-being of the Council.
“I am really delighted that the Constitution is being implemented. So the noise made in public by disgruntled individuals is because they found themselves lacking the necessary academic qualifications for their desired Council positions,” Sheikh Mubaje said.
The Mufti urged members of the Property & Endowment Trust to execute their duties diligently without fear or favour.
“Your appointment is meant to save the Mufti’s Office because whatever has been going wrong concerning Muslim property in the past, the blame has always been put squarely on the Mufti,” he said.
On his part, Sheikh Kamulegeya called upon Muslims to utilize his committee to settle their disputes while Mr Mugaino pledged to offer all the necessary expertise in the management of Muslim properties.
The newly appointed acting general secretary of UMSC, Mr Aluma pledged to create an enabling environment to facilitate a smooth transition to the substantive Secretary General.
In attendance were His Eminence Sheikh Abdallah Ibrahim Ssemambo Tamusuza, the Deputy Mufti of Uganda and His Eminence Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa, the 2nd Deputy Mufti, among others.
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