Chairperson
Abdul Hakiim Sekandi
Chairman, Board of Directors
About the bureau
An institution rooted in faith, governed by standards.
The Uganda Halal Bureau is the country’s independent halal certification body — established in 2010, owned by the Muslim community, and aligned with the OIC/SMIIC standards used across the Islamic world. We certify products and premises so that consumers, businesses and regulators can trust what the UHB Quality Mark says.
- Established
- 2010
- Certified companies
- 57+
- Industry sectors
- 7
- Daily media reach
- 2.3M
Signed with UNBS on Oct 11
Across the national registry
Food, service, abattoirs, more
Via the Salam TV campaign
Mission
To provide Halal certification services based on Halal standards and internationally recognised best practices.
Vision
To lead in the provision of Halal certification services of international repute in Africa.
Values
Honesty. Integrity. Impartiality. Accountability.
From the chairman
A word from our chairman
Asalaam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh (May the peace, blessings, and mercy of Allah be upon you.)
It is with great honour that I introduce the Uganda Halal Bureau — an institution that, for the past fifteen years, has been at the forefront of promoting halal integrity and excellence in Uganda and beyond. Since 2010 we have pursued a single, purposeful mission: to safeguard every halal-conscious consumer, to create meaningful work for qualified Muslim professionals, and to position Uganda as a leading halal hub on the African continent.
Sekandi Abdul Hakiim
Chairman, Board of Directors
Our story
From a 19th-century decree to a national framework
The path from community practice to a formal certification body spans 140 years — and a single, recurring question: how do we make halal verifiable?
2-minute read
The documented history of halal practice in Uganda dates to the 1880s, during the reign of Kabaka Muteesa I, who decreed that Muslims would assume responsibility for the ritual slaughter of animals. For over a century thereafter, halal in Uganda was largely a community responsibility, entrenched within the Muslim community as a matter of religious obligation rather than formal certification.
As consumer markets diversified at the end of the 20th century, concerns grew about the integrity of manufactured goods — fats, spreads, sweeteners and the long supply chains behind them. The community needed something the old ritual model could not provide: a verifiable, system-wide guarantee that what carried a halal claim was, in fact, halal.
+5 paragraphs · 1880s → 2025
Milestones
Notable moments
Recent moments that mark the bureau’s growing international standing — from recognitions and audits to the partnerships behind Uganda’s halal ecosystem.
- 2025
JAKIM recognition
JAKIM Malaysia recognised UHB as a Foreign Halal Certification Body (30 Dec 2025 – 29 Dec 2028) — covering food, beverages, food premises, hotels, restaurants and slaughterhouses.
- 2024
WHC audit
The World Halal Council audited the bureau and admitted UHB as an Associate Member, anchoring mutual recognition with halal certifiers worldwide.
- 2024
SERUNAI partnership
Serunai Commerce Malaysia partnered with UHB on digital halal infrastructure through a reverse-linkage arrangement.
- 2023
Visit by Standards Malaysia
A delegation from Standards Malaysia visited the bureau, deepening technical cooperation between Uganda and Malaysia on halal conformity assessment.
- MOU
A tripartite halal ecosystem
Witnessed by the Rt Hon. John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, UHB (certification), the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (accreditation) and the Islamic University in Uganda (independent testing) formalised a tripartite halal ecosystem for Uganda.
Leadership
The people behind the seal
A Board of Directors sets strategy and policy; a small executive team runs day-to-day certification and operations.
Board of Directors
Founding members
Founding Director
Mohammed Serunjogi
Founding Director
Swaib Semuwemba
Founding Director
Amuli Kimbugwe
Executive & management
The management team
Executive
General Manager
Namaganda Safinah
Responsible for day-to-day operations; reports directly to the Board of Directors.
Independent
Sheikh Abdrazake Kakooza - Shari’ah Advisory Board
Independent oversight
An impartial body advising both the Board and the General Manager on Shari’ah matters. Sits outside the line of command.
Serunjogi Moses Akram
Public & Corporate Relations Manager
Heads communications, stakeholder engagement and the bureau’s public awareness work.
Sharifah Nakigudde
Finance / Human Resource Manager
Oversees finance and human resources — staffing, capability building and the support team that keeps the bureau running.
Hawa Juma
Technical Auditor
Supervises internal and external technical halal auditors, leading on-site audits across the bureau’s seven industry sectors.
Mubiru Musa
Technical Auditor
Nakedde Janat
Technical Auditor
Rashid Hassan Sharif
Technical Auditor
Organisational structure
Built to OIC/SMIIC 2 and ISO/IEC 17065
A Board of Directors sits at the apex; the General Manager runs day-to-day operations; two complementary arms — management and certification — execute the work. The Shari’ah Advisory Board is independent, outside the line of command.
Auditors and experts — both internal and external — report into the Technical and Shari’ah Managers respectively. The Halal Certification Committee works alongside the Head of Halal Certification on every certification decision.
Partners & affiliations
Working alongside
Strategic relationships with national regulators, religious authorities, financial institutions and international halal bodies anchor the bureau’s credibility — and the reach of the UHB Quality Mark.
Serunai Commerce
Serunai
Reverse linkage on digital halal infrastructure
Islamic Development Bank
IsDB
Technical agreement supporting the digital halal ecosystem
South African National Halal Authority
SANHA
Peer halal certification body — regional cooperation across Africa
Kenya Bureau of Halal Certification
KBHC
Regional halal certification peer in East Africa
Uganda Free Zones & Export Promotions Authority
UFZEPA
Opening export channels for certified Ugandan products
Uganda National Bureau of Standards
UNBS
National standards authority — MOU partner since the bureau’s founding
Uganda Small Scale Industries Association
USSIA
MOU partner growing the halal small-industry sector
Uganda Manufacturers’ Association
UMA
Affiliate member; MOU growing the halal manufacturing sector
Private Sector Foundation of Uganda
PSFU
Private-sector umbrella partner supporting halal enterprise
Uganda Muslim Supreme Council
UMSC
Religious accreditation authority and oversight body
Islamic University in Uganda
IUIU
Halal product testing and scientific assurance partner
Uganda National Chamber of Commerce
UNCC
Trade-body partner connecting certified producers to markets
Bureau in action
Audits, ceremonies, and the global stage
A small visual record of the bureau’s work — on-site audits in manufacturing plants, certificate handovers, joint pavilions at MIHAS in Malaysia, and partnership signings here in Kampala.
1 / 22
International stage · Sept 2025
UHB & UFZEPA representing Uganda at MIHAS 2025 — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
22 of 22 photos in this categoryclick a photo to view full size
Recognitions & memberships
Recognised at home — credentialed abroad
The UHB Quality Mark stands on a foundation of formal recognition from Ugandan government, foreign diplomatic missions and global halal bodies — with further international accreditations actively being pursued.
Ministry of Trade, Industry & Cooperatives
RecognisedSector regulator and originating mandate
Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development
RecognisedFormal government recognition
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
RecognisedDiplomatic facilitation for cross-border recognition
Embassy of Qatar
RecognisedUHB Quality Mark formally attested
Honorary Consulate of Malaysia in Uganda
RecognisedStanding recognition of bureau work
World Halal Council (WHC)
RecognisedAssociate member, April 2024 — awarded annually
JAKIM (Malaysia)
RecognisedForeign Halal Certification Body recognition, 30 Dec 2025 — valid through 29 Dec 2028
Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC)
PursuingAccreditation actively being pursued
GAK (Indonesia)
PursuingAccreditation actively being pursued
Credentials on file
The seals behind the seal
Two certificates anchor the UHB Quality Mark on the global stage — the World Halal Council Associate Membership and the JAKIM Foreign Halal Certification Body recognition. Both are reproduced here in full and available for download.
JAKIM — Department of Islamic Development Malaysia
Foreign Halal Certification Body Recognition
- Issued
- 30 December 2025
- Valid
- 29 December 2028
- Reference
- JAKIM. (S)700-2/1/05 Jld. 7 (54)
Scope
- Food, Beverages & Raw Materials
- Food Premise, Hotel & Restaurant
- Slaughterhouse
Signed by · Dato' Dr. Sirajudin bin Suhaimee, Director General, JAKIM
World Halal Council — a global federation of halal certification bodies
Associate Membership Certificate
- Issued
- April 2024
- Valid
- For the year 2025 (renewed annually)
- Reference
- WHC Associate Membership, est. 1999
Scope
- Recognised as the bureau’s associate-member representation at WHC
- Mutual-recognition pathways with WHC member certifiers
- Continuous standards-alignment with the global halal economy
Signed by · WHC President & Secretary General
These two credentials sit alongside formal recognition from Uganda’s Ministries of Trade, Finance, and Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Qatar and the Honorary Consulate of Malaysia — with EIAC and GAK accreditations actively in motion.