# Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs of Somalia: what it does

> What Somalia's federal religious affairs ministry does: Hajj, mosques, endowments and religious guidance; who leads it; its budget 2025 to 2027; and what it reports doing for the 2026 Hajj.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/ministry-of-religious-affairs/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## What it does

The ministry is the federal body for religion. Somalia's constitution makes Islam the religion of the state. The ministry's main jobs, as reported:

- **Hajj and Umrah:** it signs Somalia's yearly Hajj quota with Saudi Arabia, licenses Hajj agents, sets the maximum price of the Hajj package and sends officials to look after pilgrims in Makkah and Mina ([Hiiraan Online, November 2025](https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203600/somalia_and_saudi_arabia_sign_1447_2026_hajj_quota_agreement.aspx); [SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/ministerial-oversight-ensures-smooth-hajj-for-somali-pilgrims-as-they-embark-on-a-spiritual-journey-to-mina/)).
- **Endowments (awqaf):** it oversees property given as religious endowments.
- **Mosques and guidance:** it oversees mosques, religious education and religious guidance.

## Who leads it

**Mukhtar Robow Ali** (Mukhtaar Roobow) is minister. He signed the 2026 Hajj quota agreement in Jeddah with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah ([Goobjoog](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-2026-hajj-quota-agreement-for-11500-pilgrims); [Dawan Africa](https://dawan.africa/news/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-2026-hajj-quota-agreement)). He was appointed minister in August 2022, having left al-Shabaab, where he had been deputy leader and spokesman, in 2017 ([Wikipedia, Mukhtar Robow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhtar_Robow)). See [Mukhtar Robow](/en/people/mukhtar-robow/) and [Al-Shabaab: structure and leaders](/en/institutions/al-shabaab-structure-and-leaders/).

## The 2026 Hajj

- **Quota:** 11,500 places for Somali pilgrims for the Hajj of 1447 (2026) ([Goobjoog](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-2026-hajj-quota-agreement-for-11500-pilgrims)).
- **Price cap:** the ministry set the maximum package price at **US$4,543.50**, down from US$4,604 the year before ([Goobjoog](https://en.goobjoog.com/somalia-sets-price-cap-opens-registration-for-2026-hajj-pilgrims); [Hajj Reporters](https://hajjreporters.com/?p=30748)).
- **Health checks:** all pilgrims had to pass a health screening ([Dawan Africa](https://dawan.africa/news/somalia-mandates-health-screening-for-2026-hajj-pilgrims)).
- **Meals:** after pilgrims complained about food in May 2026, the ministry said meals are not part of the official package ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-hajj-fees-do-not-include-meals)).
- **Launch:** Prime Minister [Hamza Abdi Barre](/en/people/hamza-abdi-barre/) launched the 2026 Hajj services ([Goobjoog](https://en.goobjoog.com/pm-barre-launches-2026-hajj-services-pledges-better-care-for-pilgrims)), and the minister inspected the Somali pilgrims' camps in Mina ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/article/minister-of-endowments-inspects-relocation-of-somali-pilgrims-in-makkah)).
- **Ranking:** in June 2025 the ministry said Somalia had risen to fourth place worldwide in a ranking of Hajj pilgrim services ([AllAfrica, June 2025](https://allafrica.com/stories/202506100012.html)).

## The money

From the federal budget ([Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted](https://mof.gov.so/storage/documents/2026/11/xihvtskp/Appropriation%20Act%20for%202027%20Submitted%20to%20Parlement.pdf)):

| Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 2026 budget (US$) | 2027 proposed (US$) |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| Ministry of Religious Affairs | 3,743,244 | 5,383,637 | 4,541,433 |

## Related bodies

The Somali Religious Council and the Council of Ulama are separate religious bodies outside the government. For faith in Somali life, see [Islam in Somalia](/en/society/islam-in-somalia/) and [Quran schools and religious learning](/en/society/quran-schools-and-religious-learning/).

## Its legal basis

The 2012 Provisional Constitution, which makes Islam the religion of the state (Article 2), as amended in 2024 and 2026, and the ministry's mandate from the Council of Ministers.

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