Government settles UMSC-UBHA Hajj dispute

By Hajji Younus Ntale

The long-running battle over who should control the management of Hajji and Umrah for Ugandan pilgrims appears to have reached a decisive turning point, with the government reaffirming the Uganda Bureau of Hajji Affairs (UBHA) as the organisation responsible for coordinating the two pilgrimages.

In a September 3 letter to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, signed by State Minister for Regional Cooperation Harunah Kyeyune Kasolo and copied to President Yoweri Museveni, Mufti Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubaje, among others, the Government reaffirmed UBHA’s mandate to manage Hajj affairs for Ugandan pilgrims. In addition to the Hajj, the government extended UBHA’s role to include the supervision of Umrah.

“I refer to the previous correspondences from Hon. Okello Oryem, the former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of International Affairs, on the above subject, and I would like to inform you that since assuming office, I have received expressions of concern from several stakeholders on the handling of the issue of the Hajji Bureau of Uganda,” Kasolo’s letter reads in part.

“I wish therefore to clarify that the current [Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs] will continue discharging the responsibility for organising Hajj and Umrah as we continue to engage the stakeholders,” he further wrote.

The development follows a sharp disagreement spearheaded by the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), which questioned UBHA’s mandate to manage Hajj affairs. Mufti Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubaje argued that, as the national umbrella body for Muslims in Uganda, UMSC should oversee the pilgrimage and accused UBHA of inflating Hajj fees.

As the dispute escalated, UMSC secured a letter from then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem to Saudi Arabia, seeking the withdrawal of UBHA’s mandate to manage Ugandan pilgrims undertaking Hajj.

The move, however, triggered opposition from sections of the Muslim community, who questioned the basis of the decision and argued that key Muslim stakeholders had not been adequately consulted.

At the height of the dispute, hundreds of pilgrims—mainly those who had registered with groups aligned to UMSC—missed out on this year’s Hajj, as Saudi authorities continued to recognise UBHA as the body responsible for coordinating Ugandan pilgrims.

INVESTIGATIONS

The Friday Call understands that the Government’s latest position followed a review of the competing claims and allegations surrounding the management of Hajj affairs.

Sources familiar with the process, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the matter, said officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—including the responsible ministers, the Permanent Secretary and the Chief of Protocol—were tasked with examining the dispute and reviewing earlier investigations.

The review considered reports from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) and the Senior Presidential Adviser on Middle East Affairs, Sheikh Dr Ahmed Kisuule, before the findings were reportedly submitted to the President.

“The investigations did not substantiate any of the allegations that UMSC had raised against UBHA,” the source said.

The government also consulted different Muslim organisations and leadership factions, including the Kibuli-based Office of the Supreme Mufti, Jamu-iyya Da-awa Salafiyya led by Sheikh Mahmoud Kibaate, the Nakasero-based Jamu-iyya Tabligh Da-awa Salafiyya, and the Juma and Zukuuli Muslim Group.

Prominent Muslim figures, including Sheikh Abdul Obeid Kamulegeya, also participated in the consultations, while others, such as Prince Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu, have used various platforms to oppose UMSC’s bid to take over Hajj management and instead expressed support for UBHA, which they regard as a neutral institution.

According to the source, the participating Muslim groups and leaders maintained that, despite their theological and organisational differences, they preferred Hajj and Umrah management to be entrusted to a neutral institution rather than placed directly under UMSC.