Structured Imams and Amirats to Hold Thanksgiving for Museveni Over Annual Hajj Support

The Structured Imams and Amirats Assembly of Uganda will hold a national thanksgiving ceremony on July 24 to honour President Museveni for sponsoring Muslim leaders to perform Hajj, while appealing for more beneficiaries in future.

The Structured Imams and Amirats Assembly of Uganda has announced a national thanksgiving ceremony on July 24, 2026, to honour President Museveni for his continued support in sponsoring Muslim leaders to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Speaking at a press conference at Africana Hotel in Kampala, the assembly's leadership said the President's annual sponsorship enables imams and amirats from across the country who cannot afford the pilgrimage to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam.

Several beneficiaries from different parts of the country attended the briefing and expressed gratitude to the President, while appealing for an increase in the number of sponsored pilgrims in future.

Sheikh Sayyid Kasauli, president of the Structured Imams and Amirats Assembly, said beneficiaries are selected through a rigorous process to ensure the support reaches those most in need.

"The offers given by the President are always distributed in a good way after making thorough research to make sure that those people who are really in need and can't manage are considered," Sheikh Kasauli said.

He said 150 pilgrims performed Hajj this year under the President's sponsorship.

"That is why we are preparing a thanksgiving on July 24, 2026, where the President will be the chief guest to welcome back his people that he supported. We are also requesting that the number be increased," he said.

Hajji Karim Kaliisa, patron of the Structured Imams and Amirats Assembly and managing director of Salam TV and Salam Charity, said the President's support has transformed the lives of many beneficiaries and strengthened Muslim communities.

"President Museveni loves them so much. That is why he can support them with such a life-changing journey to Makkah and Madinah that can never leave a person the same who performed Hajj pilgrimage," Hajji Kaliisa said.

He urged Muslims to support government programmes and appreciate initiatives already undertaken, saying continued cooperation would attract more support for the community.

Kaliisa also called on political leaders to back the initiative rather than oppose it, arguing that its benefits extend beyond individual pilgrims.

"This doesn't only benefit Muslims who go to Makkah for Hajj and Umrah, but the entire communities where they come from," he said.

The July 24 thanksgiving is expected to bring together sponsored pilgrims, Muslim leaders and government officials to formally welcome back those who performed Hajj this year under the President's sponsorship.