House of Zakat records 64% revenue surge
By Jafar Mugera
House of Zakat and Waqf Uganda (HZW), a Muslim charitable organisation, has registered a significant rise in revenue over the past year, according to its latest audit report.
The report shows that the organisation collected more than Shs 1.17 billion in 2025, representing a 64.6 per cent increase from Shs 715.7 million recorded in 2024.
The revenue was generated from several streams, including Zakat al-Maal (obligatory alms), which contributed Shs 282.1 million; waqf (endowments), Shs 76.2 million; housing rental collections, Shs 82 million; sadaqah (voluntary cash donations), Shs 22.1 million; and other donations, which accounted for the largest share at Shs 715.4 million.
Presenting the audit report during an iftar dinner at Hotel Africana in Kampala, the Head of Finance and Administration, Dr Hamza Namungo, noted a decline in Zakat collections, attributing it to lingering economic shocks from the Covid-19 lockdown four years ago.
“We had projected to collect Shs 410 million from individual Zakat contributions but realised Shs 282.1 million. Despite the shortfall, this trend reflects the resilience of our contributors,” Dr Namungo said.
Among the endowments that HZW is proud of is an apartment building at Ntinda near Kampala, which generates Shs 82 million annually, a 10.5-acre piece of land at Nkoko – Kabimbiri in Mukono district valued at over Shs 150 million, a business building at Kibibi in Butambala district, commercial tree forests in Kyankwanzi, Mbirizi in Lwengo district, and Kalamba in Butambala district.
Among the endowments HZW takes pride in is an apartment building in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, which generates approximately Shs 82 million annually.
The organisation also owns a 10.5-acre piece of land at Nkoko– Kabimbiri in Mukono district valued at over Shs 150 million, a commercial building at Kibibi in Butambala district, as well as commercial forest plantations in Kyankwanzi, Mbirizi in Lwengo district, and Kalamba in Butambala district.
HZW has also taken steps to immortalise its first chief executive officer, the late Dr Anas Abdulnoor Kaliisa, through the construction of a Shs 450 million classroom block at Kishuro Muslim Primary School in Ntungamo district.
Dr Kaliisa, a renowned cleric, died in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new facility will include a computer laboratory and a library, according to Dr Ibrahim Matovu, the organisation’s head of the education committee.
