Baker Mulinde

Qatar Former Chief Justice Arrives in Uganda for Muslim Youth Convention Sheikh Abdu Rahman Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, the former Chief Justice of Qatar’s Sharia Court and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Munazzamat Al-Dawa Al-Islamiyya, an international charitable organisation, has arrived in Uganda ahead of the National Muslim Youth Convention scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2026. Sheikh Al-Mahmoud is visiting Uganda for three days as a special guest of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) at the invitation of the council. He was received at Entebbe International Airport by a UMSC delegation led by His Eminence Dr Sheikh Hafiz Muhammad Harunah Bukenya, the Second Deputy Mufti of Uganda. Others present included Hon.Counsel Haj Muhammad Ali Aluma, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Finance and Administration; H. E Sheikh Twaha Uthuman Musa Kajaaya, the Mufti’s Special Envoy to South Sudan; and Hon.Habib Mustafa, Chairperson of the National Muslim Council, Sheikh Erias Kigozi, Wakiso District Kadhi among other officials. Following his arrival, Sheikh Al-Mahmoud travelled to the UMSC headquarters in Old Kampala, where he was received by the Deputy Mufti, His Eminence Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa, on behalf of the Mufti, His Eminence Dr Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, who is attending an international conference in Russia. Other senior UMSC officials who welcomed the visiting dignitary included Hon. Secretary General Hadji Abbas Muluubya Ssekyanzi; Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Development Hon. Abdu-Razaq Arinda; and Director of Sharia Prof. Dr Ziyad Swaleh Lubanga, alongside other departmental heads. The guest and his delegation held discussions with UMSC officials in the Deputy Mufti’s office before signing the visitors’ book and departing for their accommodation in Kampala later in the evening. Speaking to the media before the delegation departed with the guest, Sheikh Twaha Uthuman Musa Kajaaya, the chairperson of the National Organising Committee, called on Muslims and other Ugandans to attend the convention in large numbers and demonstrate Uganda’s renowned hospitality. He said the event, scheduled to take place at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, would be presided over by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Sheikh Kajaaya added that entry to the convention would be free and refreshments would be provided to participants at no cost. Haj Zziwa Ashiraf UMSC Spokesperson