UMSC Flags Off Ugandan Students Awarded Scholarships to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif University

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reported that the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council has held a send-off for eight Ugandan students who are part of a group of 23 learners selected for scholarships at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif University in Cairo, Egypt. The ceremony took place on Saturday, 25 July 2026, at the Main Library of Islamic Call University College at UMSC headquarters in Old Kampala.

According to the report, UMSC Education Secretary Sheikh Juma Bakhit Cucu presided over the event on behalf of the Mufti of Uganda, Dr Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje. The eight students were identified as Kakungulu Abdu-Rashid, Mayanja Shurahu Dauda, Bukenya Uthuman, Kamoga Ukasha, Kavuma Ubaiba, Seruwu Ashiraf, Mbaziira Mubaraka and Nagujja Zahara. They include seven male students and one female student, all formerly of Namasenene Islamic Centre in Masaka Muslim District, West Buganda Muslim Region.

The publisher said Sheikh Cucu urged the students to remain disciplined and focused while studying abroad, and said the Al-Azhar scholarship channel had restarted after being suspended for several years. He described UMSC’s role as coordinating Muslim education and helping eligible students pursue available opportunities, while stressing that selection was handled on merit by the scholarship-granting institution.

The report also said parents were encouraged to stay involved in the students’ welfare because the university may not cover every personal need. Sheikh Fahad Lubowa of Namasenene Islamic Centre thanked UMSC and other stakeholders on behalf of parents and teachers. The scholarships are being presented as a boost to Muslim education in Uganda and to academic links with Egypt.