The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has suspended the operations of the Uganda Bureau of Haj Affairs and repossessed full control of the management of pilgrimage activities, citing gross mismanagement and alleged exploitation of intending pilgrims.

Mufti made the announcement while officiating at the marriage ceremony of Hannah Shafie Songolo, daughter of Sheikh Shafie Edris Songolo, a senior Muslim cleric in Busoga and a member of the UMSC Executive and the Muslim Arbitration and Reconciliation Council.

The ceremony was held at the Songolo family residence in Kiryowa village, Buikwe District, near Jinja City.

"We discovered serious irregularities that undermined the sanctity of Haj. Some intending pilgrims were forced to pay extra and unexplained fees of up to 1,000 US dollars each," Mubaje said.

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He accused the bureau of artificially inflating pilgrimage costs and turning the sacred religious obligation into a commercial venture that locked out many Muslims.

"Haj was being transformed into a personal business. This is unacceptable. UMSC could no longer remain silent as Muslims continued to be exploited in the name of worship," he added.

Mubaje further said the bureau had refused to cooperate with UMSC despite publicly presenting itself as operating under the Council.

"They completely declined to work with us, yet continued misleading the public. We have therefore suspended their operations and reclaimed our constitutional mandate to manage Haj affairs in Uganda," he said.

According to the Mufti, the move is intended to restore dignity, transparency, accountability, and fairness in the organisation of the pilgrimage while safeguarding the interests of intending pilgrims.

Mufti also condemned domestic violence and the growing trend of men abandoning their families shortly after marriage.

"Imagine some irresponsible men flee homes leaving their wives to toil with children as single mothers, and when time comes and those children have successfully grown up and organised such functions, those shameless fathers want to feature prominently at the weddings," he said.

The event was attended by senior UMSC officials, including Deputy Secretary General for Finance and Administration Haj Muhammad Ali Aluma, Deputy Secretary General for Planning and Development Haj Abdu-Raziq Arinda, members of the UMSC General Assembly, executives, and several regional Kadhis.