This mighty investigative website can exclusively report that Dr Al-Hajji Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu the titular Muslim leader has pulled out of mediations which were aimed at settling personal fights between Kampala Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago and Court of Appeal Justice Musa Ssekaana.
Highly placed sources close to Prince Nakibinge have revealed that in 2020, he was approached by a number of top Muslim and Baganda leaders who pleaded with him to intervene and save the situation because Justice Ssekaana and Lukwago were tearing themselves into pieces in the public which damaged the Muslim community and Baganda in general.
There was fear that because Lukwago is a prominent leader and Muslim and since Justice Ssekaana is also a big man in the judiciary and the patron of the Muslim lawyers association, an umbrella that brings all Muslims together, their fight dented the image of the two leaders.
The fight resulted from a case that Lukwago filed with maverick city lawyer Kassim Male Mabirizi seeking a declaration that Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama was not fit to chair the country’s Independent Electoral Commission because he didn’t resign as Court of Appeal Justice as the law commands.
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When the matter came for hearing, Mabirizi and Lukwago asked Justice Ssekaana to recuse himself from their case accusing him of being biased against them because before being appointed a Judge of the High Court, he was also a lawyer to the Electoral Commission.
Ssekaana declined to recuse himself from the matter noting that he took a judicial oath to deliver justice without fear or favour.
Sources close to justice Ssekaana said that the man from Kayozi clan was very bitter with Lukwago and Mabirizi for taking his decision personal and resorting to playing their politics using his name.
He later issued criminal summons against Mabirizi for contempt of court which resulted into slapping an 18 months prison sentence on him.
When Prince Nakibinge summoned both Lukwago and Ssekaana to his Kibuli home, they both agreed to settle their grievances out media but a few days later, Justice Ssekaana was shocked seeing Lukwago in the media attacking him.
He reported the matter to the Prince who investigated and established that Lukwago went against what they agreed.
“The Prince made a phone call to Justice Ssekaana and apologized to him saying he was surprised that Lukwago didn’t keep his word because he thought that he understood why they met. The Prince immediately swore never to mediate Ssekaana and Lukwago if another fight broke out,” a close source to Nakibinge said.
This is not the first time that Lukwago is betraying Nakibinge, during his fight with the defunct Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (UTODA) led by the late Al-Hajji Musa Katongole, both Nakibinge and Supreme Mufiti Kayongo tried to mediate the two to the extent of even paying Lukwago’s travel fees and other requirements to go Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage and settle their fights. However, Lukwago refused to cease fire, he fought until UTODA was disbanded.
Lukwago’s fight against Justice Ssekaana is still on.
Recently, his political colleagues Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda the Kira Municipality legislator, who revealed that he slept in the same hall with Lukwago at Makerere university and Mukono Municipality legislator Betty Nambooze continued attacking the Ssekaana to the extent that one of them declared that if they committed a crime and the punishment was death, and the presiding judicial officer was justice Ssekaana, they cannot waste their money hiring good lawyers but run straight into exile.
They alleged that justice Ssekaana is a good friend to President Museveni and whatever he is doing is in the interest of saving and his government through courts of law.
