Hundreds send-off Sheikh Ndirangwa in Lwengo

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Hundreds of mourners on Saturday, June 21, thronged the ancestral home of former Supreme Mufti Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa for his final send-off at Kirayangoma in Lwengo district.

Born in 1962, Ndirangwa passed away on Friday evening at Mengo Hospital after a long battle with diabetes.

Some of the children of the late former Supreme Mufti Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa during his final send-off. (Photo by Florence Tumupende)

Speaker after speaker hailed Ndirangwa as a distinguished Muslim cleric who was not only down to earth but also liberal in his approach.

His classmate, Sheikh Abdallah Ssemambo, described him as a unique cleric with exceptional qualities.

“He was my classmate, but I can tell you that we have lost a sheikh with unique attributes. He was a good listener and a down-to-earth man,” Ssemambo said.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Sheikh Umar Buwembo Kasule said death had robbed them of a good father.

“He has been a good father to us and a key pillar in the family, but we believe that it is God who has taken him,” Buwembo said.

He asked Muslims to pray to God to forgive Ndirangwa’s shortcomings and grant him paradise.

Ndirangwa is survived by two widows and several children, most of whom are still in school.

NRM vice chairperson Hajj Moses Kigongo being welcomed for former Supreme Mufti Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa final send-off. (Photo by Florence Tumupende)

He served as the Supreme Mufti at the Kibuli-based parallel Muslim administration from December 2015 until April 2021, when he resigned.

His resignation came as a surprise to the Muslim community. However, sources close to the matter said it followed the defection of Sheikh Obeid Kamulegeya to the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).

The source said that Ndirangwa, who remained under Kamulegeya’s influence, came under pressure from the Kibuli leadership, which threatened to strip him of his position. In response, he chose to resign.

Some had speculated that his resignation was linked to vehicles donated by President Yoweri Museveni to the Muslim group, but the source refuted this claim.

At his burial, the office of the Supreme Mufti was represented by the First Deputy Supreme Mufti Sheikh Mahad Kakooza, though he did not speak during the ceremony.

Speaking at the funeral, NRM vice chairperson Hajj Moses Kigongo urged Muslims to stop bickering, saying internal divisions were holding the community back.

“We must embrace unity. We should stop bickering and spreading fitina among ourselves because it adds nothing to us. If you have an issue with someone, resolve it; don’t involve others in your issues,” Kigongo said.

Former State Minister for Investment Hajj Muhammad Muyanja Mbabaali appealed to the two Muslim administrations in the country to appoint another powerful cleric from Lwengo District in honour of Ndirangwa.

Who was Sheikh Ndirangwa?

Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa was born on October 9 1962 to the late Hajji Muhammad Kasule and Hajjat Ajiri Nakawungu of Kirayangoma, in Kisekka sub-county, now part of Lwengo district.

Mourners in the process of lifting the kafan with the remains of former Supreme Mufti Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa. (Photo by Florence Tumupende)

His education began at Madarasat Noor Kirayangoma Primary School and Sseke Primary School, where he sat his Primary Leaving Examinations.

He pursued Islamic studies at Bilal Islamic Institute in Bwaise, Kampala, earning the Idaad (Islamic ‘O’ level) certificate. This qualification led him to Dar-al-Hadith Makkiyah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

In 1985, he enrolled at the prestigious Islamic University of Madinah, graduating in 1989 with a degree in Daawah (Islamic propagation), cementing his credentials as a scholar and preacher.

Upon returning to Uganda, he was appointed Imam of Kibuli Mosque in 1992, a role that brought him national recognition.

His powerful sermons and moral leadership elevated his profile in the country’s Islamic community. In December 2000, he was elected unopposed to represent Kibuli Twaale on the Kampala Muslim District Council.

He was later appointed Kampala District Kadhi under the UMSC before succeeding Sheikh Zubair Sowedi Kayongo as Supreme Mufti in 2015.

Following his resignation in 2021, Ndirangwa founded an organisation to advocate for the welfare of Imams across the country.