Kenya's de facto Muslim leader sacked over corruption

NAIROBI, Kenya - Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) chairman Yusuf Nzibo was on Monday sacked following several complaints about his leadership.

Supkem is a Muslim organization formed in 1973 to among others, rally for the unity and brotherhood in the society, besides organizing Hajj functions.

The council replaced Nzibo, a diplomat, with deputy Hassan Ole Nado in an acting capacity, pending elections in 2022 across all branches.

Nzibo is accused of among others, perpetuating grand corruption, maladministration and creating divisions among Muslim faithful in the country.

But in a quick rejoinder, the embattled de facto leader of Muslims dismissed the allegations as 'far-fetched', arguing that the alleged debt has been there for ages.

To establish the truth, Nzibo told reporters in Nairobi, he will move to court to block his ouster. He said Muslims will know about all Hajj expenses in a month's time.

“The allegations against me are far-fetched since my office doesn’t handle money. The Hajj debt has been there. The money they are referring to had been sent to Saudi Arabia government through the Ministry of Hajj,” he said.

“Muslims shall know the truth concerning this issue in a month's time,” added Nzibo, who has been at the helm for the last two years.

However, his successor Ole Nado accused him of maladministration, insisting that he failed to stamp authority at the organisation leading to his downfall.

Ole Nado asked Nzibo to proceed and voluntarily resign, adding that his time was up. Further, Ole Nado said, Nzibo can prepare to battle for a comeback in 2022.

“His failure to stamp his authority on various issues has led to his downfall. People have been asking why the Hajj debt has not been reducing.

"We are not blaming him personally for corruption but his leadership has been weak and cannot take Muslim forward,” said Ole Nado.

Monday's ouster of Nzibo is the first of it's kind since the inception of the formidable Council, which has rarely witnessed leadership wrangles.

In Kenya, the population of Muslims is about 20 per cent, with the rest subscribing to Christianity. Kenya's population as per 2019 is 47.6 million.

Besides pursuing serious issues pertaining to the Muslims, Supkem plays an integral role in the country's reconciliation and cohesion.

GAROWE ONLINE