Muslim women across Uganda have commended President Museveni for fulfilling his Shs2 billion financial pledge, aimed at supporting women’s socio-economic empowerment through a revolving fund.
Haji Faruk Kirunda, the Special Presidential Assistant on Press and Mobilization and Deputy Press Secretary to the President, congratulated Muslim women upon obtaining the Shs2 billion revolving fund from President Museveni.
“I thank you for waiting patiently for the fund and for being hardworking and united in your efforts towards self-improvement,” he said.
Haji Kirunda made the remarks during a capacity building conference for the Uganda Muslim Women Council (UMWC) held at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) Headquarters in Old Kampala.
He was represented by Dr. Safinah Museene, Commissioner at the Ministry of Education and Sports.
President Museveni made the pledge of Shs2 billion on 8th October 2024 during the inaugural Muslim Women’s Conference held at Old Kampala SS playground.
The pledge was fulfilled in September 2025, and the funds were officially handed over to Muslim women leaders by the State House Comptroller, Jane Barekye, at Okello House, Nakasero, Kampala.
In his speech, Haji Kirunda cautioned leaders against misusing the funds, emphasizing that the money is a revolving fund meant to benefit all Muslim women across Uganda without discrimination.
“We have provided guidelines to manage the funds, and there should be no excuse for misapplying them. All 82 Muslim regions should access the fund,” he emphasized.
“This fund should be a turning point for enhancing the welfare of Muslim women in Uganda, probably in new dimensions not experimented with before.”
He added that the conference, held under the theme “Women Economic Empowerment for Growth and Sustainable Development through Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations,” was timely as it aligns with the UMWC’s goal of enabling Muslim women leaders to establish self-sufficient projects, access government funds, and eliminate poverty.
Haji Kirunda reaffirmed that the NRM government promotes freedom of worship and equal opportunity for all Ugandans.
“The government intends well for its people and would like everyone to develop evenly and achieve in life. I therefore urge you to support the NRM government and President Museveni as he continues to sustain the gains achieved over the last three decades,” he said.
He also commended Sofia Kenyangi and her executive team for their dedication and leadership in advancing the interests of Muslim women in Uganda.
The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, praised the unity within the Muslim community and thanked President Museveni for his continued support.
“We are now looking into ways of developing our communities by helping our mothers and sisters fight poverty. We thank the President for this support,” he said.
“We reviewed our constitution to ensure that Muslim women have leadership structures from the grassroots, aimed at empowering them. We engaged the President to support our women, and he has now fulfilled his pledge.”
Sheikh Mubaje further revealed that the President has also offered to financially empower Imams, a project estimated at Shs50 billion, aimed at helping religious leaders fight poverty.
“We are truly grateful to the President,” he added, urging Muslim women to reciprocate the support by voting for him in the forthcoming elections.
The National Chairperson of the Uganda Muslim Women Council, Hajjat Sofia Kenyangi Safina, expressed gratitude to President Museveni for fulfilling his pledge and appreciated the UMSC under Sheikh Mubaje’s leadership for including women in Muslim leadership structures.
“From that history, we generated our women’s structure. We had an objective of setting up 100 Muslim women SACCOs, and now the President has fulfilled his Shs2 billion pledge. We really thank him,” she said.
“This money is a grant from State House meant for socio-economic transformation, not for eating. The funds are already on the Muslim women’s account.”
She urged women to use the money wisely to create success stories.
“Each district will receive a share of this money through a SACCO,” she explained.
Dr. Hamiat Sengendo, Coordinator of Women and Gender at the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), thanked the President for empowering Muslim women through the fund.
“I also appreciate Hajjat Sofia and her team for bringing Muslim women together across the country,” she said.
Sarah Namugooya, a Cooperative Officer at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), clarified that the President’s empowerment fund for Muslim Women SACCOs does not contradict Islamic teachings on riba (interest).
“Whoever says this money has riba is wrong,” she stated, explaining that the 6 percent charge per annum is not interest but a service fee for SACCO operational costs such as utilities.
She further trained Muslim women on SACCO governance and accountability.
“Without trust and transparency, a SACCO cannot move forward. This money is meant to help us start or expand businesses. If we use it well, the President will add more funds. We want our SACCOs to be the best in Uganda,” she said.
Wilberforce Waligo, a Commercial Officer at KCCA, highlighted the importance of a positive mindset for business success.
“Some of you have a negative attitude towards work, thinking only about being housewives. That’s wrong. In this age and era, we must work and improve our livelihoods. We should have a positive attitude towards making money,” Waligo urged.
He encouraged the women to make good use of the President’s support to fight poverty and create wealth.
