editor
A legal dispute has emerged over the newly elected trustees at Ijumaa Mosque in Mwanza, with a group of worshippers questioning their legitimacy.
The controversy came to light when 20 members of the mosque, led by Juma Kibira, filed a lawsuit against the 10 newly appointed trustees and the Mwanza branch of the Muslim Council of Tanzania (Bakwata), which oversaw the election.
The election, held on November 24, 2024, saw the appointment of 10 new trustees to the mosque’s leadership. However, a group of concerned mosque members argues that the election process was flawed and did not accurately represent the will of the congregation. They claim that the trustees were not properly elected according to the mosque’s rules, and therefore, the newly elected group should not be allowed to take office.
The petitioners, who have filed their case under Civil Case No. 30053/2024, are seeking a court ruling that would invalidate the election. Along with the main case, they have also requested a court injunction, asking for a halt on the trustees’ ability to assume their roles until the matter is fully resolved. This request, filed as Miscellaneous Application No. 30052/2024, is intended to prevent the newly appointed trustees from carrying out any duties or accessing the mosque’s facilities until the court makes a final decision.
The case has drawn attention because it involves not only the newly elected trustees but also the regional leadership of Bakwata, which played a role in organizing the election. The trustees in question are: Abdallah Amin, Abdud Bakeisa, Hassan Abdallah, Ibrahim Sherally, Mohamed Mohamed, Muhdini Khalid, Musa Maguha, Omari Mbalamwezi, Rajab Charahani, and Sherally Sherally.
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The legal proceedings began on December 2, 2024, before Justice Stanley Kamana. During the hearing, the petitioners’ lawyer, Akram Adam, argued that the trustees should not be allowed to take office until the legitimacy of their election has been clarified by the court.
The outcome of this case will likely have lasting implications, not only for Ijumaa Mosque but also for how mosque leadership is handled in the future across the region. For now, the congregation remains divided, eagerly awaiting the court’s decision.
