By Delux Emmy Alomu
KUMI
The Regional Assistant to the Mufti, Teso-Karamoja Muslim Region, Sheikh Obilan Abubakar Umar, on Wednesday, 24th June 2026, launched a landmark 5-year training programme for Mosque Imams and Amirats (female imams) at Kumi Main Mosque.
The programme, supported by UK-based NGO, Anonymous Giving Uganda Charter, integrates women into formal theological training for the first time at this scale in the region. 60 pioneer trainees from across Teso-Karamoja will begin classes over the weekend.
According to the donor country representative, Musa Namusyo, the project, through its livelihood programmes, will also address welfare issues affecting spiritual leaders, orphans, widows, youth, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities. Education scholarships, water, sanitation, and infrastructural development will be key focus areas of the project.
In this dual training, Imaams and Amirats will study together under a uniquely tailored curriculum that addresses millennial challenges affecting the community spiritually, economically, socially, and in governance. Critical areas include dead body management, family counseling, and spiritual guidance for women – gaps the Muslim community must fill.
Beyond theology, trainees will receive soft skills and vocational skills to make them self-reliant and community problem-solvers, in accordance with Qur’an 28:77:
“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and do not forget your share of the world.”
The programme is structured in progressive levels of classification, ensuring graduates are qualified, confident, and equipped to serve as resident Imaams and Amirats in their respective communities with a dynamic mindset to appreciate social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
“For too long, matters of women were handled without women scholars. Today we correct that in accordance with Sunnah and community need. An Amirat who knows her faith is a hospital for her community,” Sheikh Obilan said during the launch.
After the launch, the Regional Assistant to the Mufti, proceeded to Bukedea where he met the district LCV Chairperson Simon Ongura to discuss equitable distribution of opportunities, inclusivity of Muslim communities in district planning, and meaningful partnership for service delivery.
He paid a courtesy visit to Her Worship Ms. Rizik Nambuya, Magistrate in Charge of Bukedea Court, accompanied by Sheikh Rashid Omujaju, Deputy District Kadhi Kumi and Imam Ahmed Burhan, Deputy County Sheikh, Bukedea. Both parties agreed to collaborate in addressing judicial challenges and ensuring access to justice for all.
“Development only happens when religious institutions, political leaders, and judicial officers keep their eye on the same dream – a just and developed Teso-Karamoja,” Obilan noted.
