Pay early or stay home: Hajj Bureau sets January 26 deadline
By Abdul-Wahid Kakande
In a bid to ensure that no Muslim in Uganda intending to make the sacred pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia next year miss out as it happened this year, the Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs (UBHA) has issued the 2026 Hajj Roadmap giving timelines for making payments.
According to the roadmap issued on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, all Muslims intending to make pilgrimage to Makkah next year have up to January 26, 2026 to pay all the required fees.
The roadmap indicates that pilgrims will fly to Makkah for pilgrimage on May 11, 2026, and will return by June 9, 2026.
UBHA officials issued the roadmap during an engagement with the coordinators of the registered Hajj travel companies in the country.
Over 200 intending Ugandan pilgrims missed out on this year’s pilgrimage which UBHA officials blame largely on payments made past the deadline by the affected pilgrims.
Speaking during the meeting, UBHA secretary general Sheikh Hussein Bogere revealed that only 1,349 Ugandans were part of millions of Muslims across the globe that took part in this year’s pilgrimage, of the 1,700 slots that had been allocated to Uganda by the Saudi authorities.
Bogere revealed that more than 200 intending Ugandan pilgrims made payments past the deadline leading to many of them being left out because Saudi Arabia had closed the booking system.
Muslims pay between $4600 (about Shs 16.3 million) and $8,000 (about Shs 29 million) for the sacred pilgrimage to Makkah.
The money charged covers return airfare, visa, internal transport in Saudi Arabia, accommodation and meals.
Sheikh Zakaria Kyewalyanga, the UBHA chairperson underscored the importance of ensuring timely payments, documentation and proper coordination with Saudi authorities, noting that it is the only way the intended pilgrims will avoid missing out on the sacred trip.
“I urge all intending pilgrims to prepare early, follow guidelines and register through accredited channels to avoid being cheated by impostors,” Kyewalyanga said.
Saudi Arabia offers three classes of Hajj packages, but UBHA has taken a firm position on which options Ugandan pilgrims should consider:
- First Class (Over $15,000): Discouraged due to prohibitive costs
- Middle Class: Recommended option guaranteeing proper accommodation and amenities
- Economy Class: Blocked by UBHA due to poor conditions that expose pilgrims to hardship
Hajj is the fifth pillar of the Islamic faith and every Muslim with financial means is required to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime.
Hajj is considered a powerful means of atonement, where a person’s past sins are forgiven by Allah, similar to being reborn without sin.
The ultimate reward for an accepted Hajj is entry into Paradise, a place of eternal bliss and reward in the afterlife.
