UMSC, Hajj Bureau in fresh row over pilgrimage visas

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The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) is locked in a fresh row with the Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs (UBHA) over the management of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The dispute follows an announcement by the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, during an event in Kayunga on January 10, 2026, that UMSC had suspended UBHA from managing Hajj visas and taken over the role it has executed for years.

Mubaje accused UBHA of inflating Hajj travel fees and turning the sacred pilgrimage into a business venture.

He further accused UBHA of charging pilgrims an extra $1,000 (about sh3.6 million) and issuing visas to non-Ugandans and non Muslims, including Rebecca Kukiriza, also known as Chosen Becky, to visit the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, which is restricted to Muslims.

However, speaking at a press conference on January 12, 2026, UBHA chairperson Sheikh Zakariyah Kyewalyanga said neither UMSC nor Mubaje has the authority to suspend the bureau.

“UBHA got the mandate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and thus the mufti has no such powers to suspend or disband this organisation. We therefore call upon the Hajj travel companies and the entire Muslim community to ignore such unfounded statements,” Kyewalyanga said.

Kyewalyanga said UBHA is an independent company, like UMSC, and described the Mufti’s statements as a ploy to take over the management of Hajj affairs for material gain.

“It is only the Registrar of Companies that has the power to de-register us,” Kyewalyanga said.

On the allegations of inflating Hajj fees and issuing visas to non-Ugandans and non Muslims, Kyewalyanga dismissed them as false.

“These are tactics employed to discredit us. We put in place a prize of $1000 (about 3.6 million shillings) for him (Mubaje) to produce evidence of any single incident involving UBHA or our member, but he has never responded,” Kyewalyanga said.

Addressing the issue of Chosen Becky, Kyewalyanga clarified that she travelled to Mecca under a different arrangement and that UBHA was not involved.

“We are not surprised because the Mufti has been found to be making unfounded statements,” Kyewalyanga said.

Kyewalyanga also dismissed claims that UBHA issued visas to drug cartels during the pilgrimage.

“None of our pilgrims has ever been arrested with cocaine and any related drug, and it is unfortunate that it is Mufti making such unfounded allegations,” Kyewalyanga said.

UBHA brings together more than 80 Hajj travel companies, including Majris Tours and Travel Agency, affiliated to UMSC.

The bureau was established at the height of conflicts within the Muslim community to coordinate and manage the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Kyewalyanga argued that UBHA has lived up to its mandate and warned that attempts by UMSC to take over Hajj management could further divide the Muslim community.

“This is the only body that brings together all Muslim sects, and the attempt by UMSC to take charge of Hajj issues will most likely create more confusion and, in the long run, affect the numbers of pilgrims going to Mecca,” Kyewalyanga said.

He urged the more than 1,500 pilgrims who have already paid for this year’s pilgrimage to remain calm.

“We have already worked on your accommodation, and we shall be starting to issue the visas on February 1,” Kyewalyanga said.

Hajj is the holy pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia and is the fifth pillar of Islam. Muslims who have the means are encouraged to perform it at least once in their lifetime, as it is believed to cleanse the faithful of past shortcomings.