Federal government: ministries and agencies
Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs of Somalia: what it does
Somalia's federal Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs runs the Hajj for Somali pilgrims, oversees mosques and religious endowments (awqaf) and sets policy on religious education and guidance. Mukhtar Robow Ali is minister. For the 2026 Hajj it agreed a quota of 11,500 pilgrims with Saudi Arabia and capped the package price at US$4,543.50.
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; SONNA).
- 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; Dawan Africa). He was appointed minister in August 2022, having left al-Shabaab, where he had been deputy leader and spokesman, in 2017 (Wikipedia, Mukhtar Robow). See Mukhtar Robow and Al-Shabaab: structure and leaders.
The 2026 Hajj
- Quota: 11,500 places for Somali pilgrims for the Hajj of 1447 (2026) (Goobjoog).
- Price cap: the ministry set the maximum package price at US$4,543.50, down from US$4,604 the year before (Goobjoog; Hajj Reporters).
- Health checks: all pilgrims had to pass a health screening (Dawan Africa).
- Meals: after pilgrims complained about food in May 2026, the ministry said meals are not part of the official package (Dawan Africa).
- Launch: Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre launched the 2026 Hajj services (Goobjoog), and the minister inspected the Somali pilgrims' camps in Mina (SONNA).
- Ranking: in June 2025 the ministry said Somalia had risen to fourth place worldwide in a ranking of Hajj pilgrim services (AllAfrica, June 2025).
The money
From the federal budget (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted):
| Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 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 and 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.
Sources
- Hiiraan Online, November 2025 · hiiraan.com
- SONNA · sonna.so
- Goobjoog · en.goobjoog.com
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Wikipedia, Mukhtar Robow · en.wikipedia.org
- Goobjoog · en.goobjoog.com
- Hajj Reporters · hajjreporters.com
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Goobjoog · en.goobjoog.com
- SONNA · sonna.so
- AllAfrica, June 2025 · allafrica.com
- Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted · mof.gov.so
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Where this matters
Same era
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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- Every federal government body in Somalia and its budget, 2025 to 2027A directory of every body in Somalia's federal budget: ministries, agencies, courts, commissions and security forces, with 2025 spending, 2026 budget and 2027 proposed budget in US dollars, and a CSV download.
- The Federal Government of Somalia: how it is organisedHow Somalia's federal government is built: its history since 2012, its branches, ministries, agencies and independent offices, how it relates to the member states, its staff and budget, and where to find each part.
- Somalia's federal government: the President, the Prime Minister and the Council of MinistersHow Somalia's federal executive works: the President's powers, the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers, the list of ministries, and presidents since 1960.
- Ministry of Education of Somalia (Wasaaradda Waxbarashada): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal education ministry does: curriculum, national exams, teachers, school counts and higher education, how it shares the work with the member states, and the separate ministries in Puntland and Somaliland.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia (Wasaaradda Arrimaha Dibadda): embassies and diplomacyWhat Somalia's foreign ministry does, who leads it, where Somalia has embassies, the main issues in 2024 to 2026, and what Somalis abroad can get from an embassy.
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