KAMPALA.
Over 600 Ugandan Muslim pilgrims are set to travel for Hajj—the pilgrimage to the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The group arrived at Entebbe International Airport in the early hours of Thursday, May 29, accompanied by their close relatives.
Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a religious duty that must be performed at least once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who is physically and financially capable.
President Museveni ,like has been doing in the past years sponsored a total of 100 pilgrims mainly Muslim clerics who had not got a chance perform the firth pillar of their faith .
At the airport, the pilgrims underwent various pre-departure procedures, including the issuance of necessary travel documents by their respective Hajj company leaders.
The mainstream delegation from the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) is led by Sheikh Ali Juma Shiwuyu, the Secretary in charge of Hajj and Umrah, assisted by Sheikh Abdu-Barri Muhammad Kaloozi and other UMSC staff.
Close to 2000 pilgrims registered with various Hajj offices are expected to take part in this year’s Hajj rituals which will climax on June 6 with the celebration of Idd-al Adhu.
It has been reported that several individuals will miss this year’s Hajj due to failure to secure visas from Saudi Arabia.