Africa-Press – Uganda. The leader of Shia Muslim community, Hajj Omar Bongo, has criticised the government for issuing national identity cards with expiry dates, arguing that citizenship is permanent and should not be treated as a renewable commodity.
He made the remarks on Saturday during Eid al-Adha prayers held at the Shia headquarters in Buyemba, Bukatuube Sub-county, Mayuge District—one day after most Ugandan Muslims observed the festival.
Bongo, who heads the Ahlul Bait Islamic Foundation and is the son of the late Shia cleric Dactoor Abdul Qadir Muwaya, questioned the rationale behind a policy that requires citizens to periodically renew their national IDs.
“Citizenship does not expire. So why should a citizen’s ID?” he asked during his sermon. “This policy is a burden on the public purse and creates unnecessary government expenditure that could be avoided if IDs were issued without expiry.”
He suggested that the recurring ID renewal exercise might be driven by hidden interests.
“I fear there might be individuals pushing this policy for personal gain under the guise of national planning,” Bongo said, calling on President Museveni to investigate who benefits from the system.
Shifting to religious concerns, Bongo condemned the widespread reliance of Ugandan Muslim leaders on Saudi Arabia to determine Islamic observances such as fasting and Eid celebrations.
He accused the Saudi leadership of announcing these events without proper moon-sighting, contrary to Islamic teachings.
“This year, like many before, Muslims were made to fast for only 28 days during Ramadan, and now they’ve celebrated Eid al-Adha a day early,” he said. “This confusion is the result of blindly following announcements from Saudi Arabia, which has replaced spiritual guidance with luxury and political influence.”
Bongo argued that such inconsistencies in religious observance have sown discord among Muslim communities around the world.
“We need to return to the foundations of our faith,” he said. “Let us stop relying on those who have traded religion for comfort and power.”
He appealed to Ugandan Muslim leaders to adopt an independent approach to religious practice based on scripture and verified tradition, rather than deferring to external powers.
The Eid gathering in Mayuge stood in contrast to the Friday observance followed by many other Muslim groups in Uganda, highlighting ongoing divisions over the correct timing of Islamic festivals.
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