The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has set the Zakat Nisab for 2026 at UGX 2.4 million, meaning Muslims whose qualifying wealth equals or exceeds that amount for one lunar year are required to pay Zakat. Nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must possess before Zakat, the obligatory annual charity in Islam, becomes due. It serves as a threshold to determine who is financially eligible to pay Zakat.
Once a Muslim’s savings, cash, trade goods, or other Zakatable assets remain above the Nisab for one lunar year (Hawl), they are required to contribute 2.5 percent of that wealth as Zakat. In an announcement issued on Thursday, the Head of the UMSC Zakat and Sadaqa Department, Sheikh Kaloozi Abdulbarri Muhammad, said the Nisab was determined using the prevailing market values of gold and silver.
Kaloozi said the gold Nisab is equivalent to 85 grams of gold valued at UGX 40,536,500, while the silver Nisab is equivalent to 595 grams of silver valued at UGX 2,391,900. “Based on the prevailing market values of gold and silver, the current Zakat Nisab has been set at UGX 2,400,000,” Kaloozi said. He explained that any Muslim whose qualifying wealth reaches or exceeds the Nisab and remains in their possession for one lunar year is obligated to pay Zakat at the prescribed rate of 2.5 percent.
Kaloozi emphasized that Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and is intended to purify wealth, support vulnerable members of society, and strengthen social solidarity. Quoting the Holy Qur’an (9:103), Kaloozi said, “Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke blessings upon them,” adding that Zakat is both an act of worship and a means of promoting social justice.
He urged Muslims to fulfil their obligation through the council’s official Zakat payment channels or by depositing directly into the UMSC Zakat Account at Diamond Trust Bank. He also encouraged those seeking guidance on calculating or paying Zakat to contact the Zakat and Sadaqa Department at the UMSC headquarters in Old Kampala-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
