The Senior Presidential Advisor in charge of Political Mobilization and Chief Agent for the NRM Presidential Flagbearer 2026–2031, Mr. Moses Byaruhanga, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to financially empower Muslim clerics, especially mosque Imams and Sheikhs, as part of efforts to combat poverty and improve their livelihoods.
“On top of the PDM, H.E the President is going to inject funds in SACCOs for religious leaders of both Islam and Christianity so that they fight poverty. The Muslims here have already organized themselves from the smallest unit up to the headquarters. We are going to fund them like we have been doing to other SACCOs,” he said.
Mr. Byaruhanga made the remarks while addressing the leadership of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), including officials from the Office of the Mufti, his Regional Assistants, and District Kadhis from across the country. They had gathered for the quarterly meeting held at the UMSC headquarters, Old Kampala, on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
He explained that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government is inclusive of all citizens and that every empowerment program benefits Ugandans irrespective of their religious or other affiliations. “It is good you have started opening up the SACCOs, and the President is going to inject funds into them,” he remarked amid chants of “Allahu Akbar” from participants.
Mr. Byaruhanga further explained that President Museveni is aware that Sheikhs and Imams, among other religious leaders, are not on any payrolls. “That’s why he opted to support you through SACCOs, whereby you can get some money and start up a business,” he said. He added that beyond SACCOs, Muslim leaders can also access interest-free loans from the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC), which operates an Islamic banking window. “We shall also talk about loans from UDB to see whether you can get them free of interest,” he assured.
He concluded by thanking the Mufti and the entire UMSC for successfully implementing the Presidential Haj Offer, which was widely distributed among beneficiaries nationwide.
On his part, His Eminence Dr. Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Mufti of Uganda, revealed that the newly amended UMSC Constitution (2022) has assigned the Muslim community new roles and responsibilities to help uplift and develop the Ummah. “With this new constitution, we are becoming more organized than ever before,” Mufti Mubaje remarked.
He reminded District Kadhis of their crucial role at the grassroots and urged them to adopt new strategies for mobilizing the faithful. “You can also use social media to mobilize our people. We should embrace modernity as the UMSC,” he advised. Mufti Mubaje further urged Muslim leaders to register all Muslim assets across the country. “We must have those registers. We should know our property—schools, mosques, land, and others. Some unscrupulous individuals are using our property to fight us. So, we are soon instituting a legal team to deal with such people who want to grab our property,” he warned.
He also proposed that the UMSC carry out its own census to establish the number of Muslims in the country. “We should plan to conduct our own census to know the number of Muslims in Uganda so that we can demand our share of the national cake,” he observed.
Additionally, Mufti Mubaje hailed President Museveni for his support towards Islam in Uganda, particularly the financial commitment to Muslim leaders’ SACCOs. “These SACCOs are meant to support our Imams and Sheikhs to get start-up capital for their own businesses and uplift their livelihoods. We shall also have SACCOs for the ten Muslim regions and for District Kadhis, County Sheikhs, and Imams. The Mufti has advised that other Muslim leaders in the UMSC structure should not be involved in the planned SACCOs,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Hon. Haji Abbas Muluubya Ssekyanzi presented an update on the state of UMSC affairs, highlighting key milestones, including the repossession and ongoing development of the Namugongo Muslim Martyrs Site. On internal conflicts among Muslims, Haji Muluubya said the fraternity operates under a fully functional constitution that empowers the Muslim Arbitration and Reconciliation Council (MAC) to handle internal disputes. “Before going to court, we encourage Muslims to first report their cases and disputes to the MAC. We are supposed to use our internal mechanisms to resolve our differences,” he said.
He also thanked the Government for its continued support towards the Islamic faith in Uganda. In attendance were UMSC National Management Committee members, including His Eminence Dr. Sheikh Hafiz Muhammad Harunah Bukenya, the 2nd Deputy Mufti, as well as State House officials Hajjat Mariam Namayanja Ssebagala and Hajjat Shabilah Nassali.
Haj Zziwa Ashiraf
UMSC Spokesperson