Mufti raises Shs54.5m for Nyamitanga Girls’ Dormitory

By Issa Kigongo

The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, has launched a fundraising drive for a girls’ dormitory at Nyamitanga Secondary School in Mbarara City, raising Shs54.5 million in cash contributions towards the Shs700 million project.

The fundraiser, held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, attracted Muslim leaders, government officials, politicians, businesspeople, parents and other well-wishers, who also donated construction materials and pledged additional support.

The school’s head teacher, Haj Ismail Baguma Kyoma, said Nyamitanga Secondary School, one of the oldest Muslim-founded secondary schools in the Ankole region, has more than 1,000 students, including a substantial number of girls.

He said the new dormitory would provide additional accommodation as enrolment continues to grow.

Mubaje, who led a delegation of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) officials to Mbarara, opened the fundraising with Shs10 million on behalf of the council and a personal contribution of Shs500,000.

In his address, the Mufti urged Muslims to support the school’s development, drawing on Islamic teachings about charity and the responsibility of raising children.

Citing the Quran, 3:92, he reminded the congregation that righteousness involves giving from what one loves in the cause of Allah. He also referred to a teaching of Prophet Muhammad  on the virtues of raising daughters with good morals and guiding them into adulthood.

Among the major contributors was UMSC National Chairperson Prof. Dr Muhammadi Lubega Kisambira, who donated Shs5 million in his own name and in memory of his late parents.

Sheikh Twaha Uthuman Musa Kaajaya, the Mufti’s special envoy to South Sudan, contributed 50 bags of cement on behalf of himself, the Muslim Youth Council and fellow special envoys to the United Kingdom and the United States.

The area Member of Parliament, Mwinempaka Rwamirama, donated Shs6 million, while other UMSC officials, district Kadhis and guests made further contributions and pledges.

MUFTI CALLS FOR INVESTMENT IN INCOME GENERATING PROJECTS

The fundraising was part of Mubaje’s official visit to Mbarara Muslim District, which began on Friday, October 9, after Friday prayers at the National Mosque in Old Kampala.

On Saturday, the Mufti and his delegation toured a commercial complex comprising more than 30 shops at Abubakar Mosque in Mbarara city centre, where the Mbarara Muslim District offices are also located.

District chairman Haj Rashid Mukasa told the delegation that the project was nearing completion in its first phase but required more funding before it could begin operating.

Mubaje commended the district leadership for investing in income-generating ventures but cautioned against relying on bank loans. He encouraged Muslim leaders to mobilise resources through initiatives such as fundraising drives before donating Shs5 million.

UMSC Secretary General Hadji Abbas Muluubya Ssekyanzi said the council was pursuing a strategic development plan aimed at increasing its own revenue and reducing dependence on foreign donors.

He cited similar commercial projects in Arua, Soroti and Bwikya in Hoima, as well as plans to commission a multi-storeyed apartment building with 27 housing units in Kampala.