UMSC pilots Mosque membership register in Karamoja
By Ahmed Idriss
The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has launched a nationwide mosque-based registration exercise to establish an accurate database of Muslims, a move expected to strengthen planning, improve mosque administration and enhance service delivery across the country.
The exercise, which is being piloted in the Teso-Karamoja Muslim region, will collect data on Muslims at mosque level to support evidence-based planning for education, healthcare, social services and other community development programmes. If successful, it will be rolled out to other Muslim regions nationwide.
It was officially launched on Friday, July 10, at the Karamoja Muslim District Council headquarters in Moroto by the regional assistant to the Mufti for the Teso-Karamoja Muslim region, Sheikh Obilan Abubakar Umar.
The initiative is expected to provide UMSC with reliable demographic data to guide policy formulation, resource allocation and service delivery.
Speaking at the launch, Sheikh Obilan said the register would enable UMSC to make informed decisions based on accurate data rather than estimates.
“With proper data, we shall know our numbers, our needs and how best to serve our people,” he said.
He said UMSC would also introduce mosque-based birth and death registers to facilitate continuous tracking of the Muslim population and ensure the database remains current.
Sheikh Obilan commended the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubaje, for approving the establishment of the North-Eastern Muslim region, noting that the new administrative structure has already begun yielding tangible benefits for Muslims in the area.
He said the Mufti is closely monitoring the pilot project, whose success could pave the way for its rollout in other Muslim regions across the country.
He also expressed gratitude to the rector of the Islamic University in Uganda, Prof. Ismail Gyagenda, for supporting the initiative by funding the design and printing of at least 500 mosque membership registers for distribution across the Teso-Karamoja Muslim region.
UMSC said the registration exercise is expected to strengthen grassroots mosque administration, improve accountability and provide a dependable database for planning programmes and delivering services that respond to the needs of the Muslim community.
