Saudi government issues strict measures for next year’s pilgrimage

The Saudi Arabia government has set strict measures for pilgrims who are planning to make the 2024 hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy cities of Madina and Meccah, Sheikh Zakaria Kyewalyanga, the chairman of the Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs, has said.

He said the resolution was reached at after a joint meeting between Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Affairs ministry officials and representatives from different countries in Meccah.

The new changes came after a chaotic process where a number of pilgrims were locked out for this year’s hajj after failing to obtain Saudi Arabia visas due to failure of the e-system, which was only upgraded a few weeks before the hajj.

Therefore, starting next year, all Muslims intending to perform the pilgrimage will be required to complete all the
necessary requirements three months prior. This means that the issuing of visas for pilgrimage will start a month before the holy month of Ramadhan and close on the 15th day after Ramadhan.

In essence, the issuing of visas next year will start on February 11 and close on April 29. Then the first group of pilgrims will leave on June 7, 2024. According to Kyewalyanga, about 26 Ugandan pilgrims missed this year’s hajj.

Kyewalyanga, who supports the new measures, warned that they would follow the new measures to the letter. About 1,460 Ugandan pilgrims performed this year’s recently-concluded pilgrimage, compared to 1,200 from the previous year.

Each Ugandan pilgrim paid a minimum of $5,200 and a maximum of $5,500 to more than 40 companies that operate under the Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs.