Mubajje 'blocked from visiting jailed Kitatta'

PRISON

KAMPALA - Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Shaban Mubajje and his delegation of Muslim leaders were reportedly blocked from visiting Abdallah Kitatta and other detainees at Makindye Military Barracks.

A statement from Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) spokesperson, Nsereko Mutumba, said on Wednesday that the group was turned away by the military police leadership despite having written authorisation from the registrar of the General Court Martial (GCM).

While addressing journalists at the UMSC headquarters Old Kampala, the Mufti expressed regret at the fact that an instruction of the GCM chairman, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti, was disobeyed by officials at the barracks.

"As the head of the General Court Martial, he [Gutti] has powers like any other court judge to make a ruling which is binding, said Mubajje.

"Just as he ruled that Hajji Abdallah should be detained at Makindye, he has the power to decide who sees him."

The Mufti noted that according to the laws of Uganda, all detainees or prisoners are innocent until proven guilty.

"It is therefore unfortunate that we have been denied access."

Mubajje, however, said that the planned visits to Luzira Prisons, Kigo, Kirinya and others would go on as planned.

He noted that it is important for Muslim leaders to visit prisoners, talk to them, listen to them and pray for them.

The statement said that on Tuesday Mubajje held a meeting with the Amiir Daula, Sheikh Sulaiman Kakeeto; the Amiir Ummah, Sheikh Haruna Kasujja and the Amiir SPIDQA Muslim group in Kisenyi, Sheikh Mubarak Mugerwa and agreed to visit prisoners in various prisons and detention facilities, starting with Makindye barracks.

Efforts by New Vision to get a comment from Brig. Richard Karemire, the UPDF spokesperson, were futile as his known mobile phone number was not available by the time of filing this story.

Kitatta has been on remand in military prison since February. He is jointly charged with 12 others over alleged unlawful possession of firearms.