Ugandan Muslims protest discrimination in government appointments

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Muslims in Uganda, fed up with discrimination, protested Wednesday by getting their MPs to write to the nation’s president.

Fifty Muslim MPs in the Uganda Muslims Parliamentary Caucus (UMPC) wrote to President Uganda Yoweri Museveni through Speaker Annet Among to complain about the discrimination.

They requested a recall of the list of recently appointed members to the Public Service Commission.

Museveni appointed new members of the Commission with Winnie Agnes Kabogoza Musoke as chairperson in a June 6 letter to Among.

UMPC chairperson Asuman Basalirwa said in an interview that Muslims have for long been left out of government appointments and the community is not going to keep quiet about the discrimination. He said they want the president to recall the list of Public Service Commission members and add Muslim names.

“Muslims are also entitled to the share of the national cake. If we allow ourselves to be excluded now we will forever be excluded,” he said.

Basalirwa said the same issue was brought before the speaker in April when one Muslim was appointed during high court judges appointments and no Muslim was selected for the petroleum authority but nothing was done about it.

Secretary-General of the UMPC Aisha Kabanda said: “When the Muslims were left out on the list of people who govern the petroleum authority, they were promised to be considered during the next appointments which have not been fulfilled.”

Muslims in Uganda have long complained about being discriminated against, especially in senior government job allocation.

“Something must be done about discrimination of Muslims as far as distribution of national cake is concerned. Very few big posts in government are held by Muslims which is unfair,” Imam Abdu Kasule of the Butoda Mosque in the eastern Uganda district of Bugiri told Anadolu Agency.

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics said Muslims constitute 14% of the population while Christians make up 84%.

Muslims hold just 10 of 82 ministerial posts with Moses Ali in the highest position as second deputy prime minister.