Ugandans from different walks of life are trying to make sense of the life sentences handed to four of the Muslim clerics convicted of terrorism.
Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga, Siraji Kawoya, Murta Mudde Bukenya and Fahad Kalungi were this afternoon sentenced to life imprisonment for failure to harmonize relationships of their followers.
Six men were on Monday found guilty by the three justices of the International Crimes Division of High Court. The judges included Ezekiel Muhanguzi, Percy Tuhaise and Jane Kiggundu.
Court also handed their co-accused including Yusuf Kakande and Abdusalam Sekayanja 30 year jail sentences.
Trouble for the clerics started after they were picked up together with 8 others and arraigned in court for the alleged murder of Mustafa Bahiga, the former Kampala District Amir and Hassan Ibrahim Kirya, the former Spokersperson Kibuli based Muslim faction and the attempted murder of Dr. Harouna Jjemba, the leader of a rival tabligh faction.
They were also charged with terrorism. However, court exonerated all the accused of the murder and attempted murder charges, saying prosecution had failed to convince court of their involvement in the crime.
Court found the six guilty of terrorism when they printed fliers with the names of those listed for murder, distributing them in numerous mosques, holding meetings in their homes from where they planned the killings and sending threatening messages to their victims.
Several Ugandans have since the sentence taken to social media questioning what sort of an offence it is, if one fails to harmonize relationships of their followers.
