IslamicFinance.de

The Muslim community of Uganda asked the Government to speed up the process of providing regulations for Islamic banking. According to Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, the laws for Islamic banking have been passed but Bank of Uganda is reluctant to draft the regulations as well as issuing licenses for Islamic banking. Financial experts have often criticised Islamic banking for higher creating costs and bigger risks, a situation that has not been remedied over the years. The lack of unique frameworks by the Government to regulate Islamic banking is the other challenge, leaving the Islamic banks to be regulated as other conventional banks.

Islamic banking in #Uganda will broaden government financing options and will ease its borrowing from the private sector, through the Sukuk bonds. According to the managing director of ABL Dunamis, Abubaker Mayanja, Sukuk funding will be available for government infrastructure projects; as long as they meet sharia requirements and the funds are invested directly into the project. He said the bonds will be issued by all commercial banks, regardless of whether they are Muslim founded or not.

Since Parliament has finally approved Islamic Banking, an increase is expected in investment from numerous Islamic Banks. Abubaker B. Mayanja, financial economist with ABL Dunamis, anticipates an increase in Capital inflow of $600m over the medium term; driven first by international banks that already include Islamic Banking products in their offering elsewhere. The second wave will come from regional players that are already in the East African market. The third wave will come from the traditional Middle East players. The fourth wave will be an expansion of Islamic finance system; insurance (Takaful), capital markets- sukuk bonds and funds, pension management, leasing (Ijara), mortgages and investment banking.

There are basically two models of Islamic insurance that is, al-Mudarabah model and the wakalah model though most jurists prefer the first one. This element enables members to fulfill their obligations of mutual help and guaranteeing one another. It should, however, be noted that the element of profit sharing among participants from the proceeds of the Islamic insurance operations is only made after fulfilling the mutual obligation of assisting one another and this calls for proper asset keeping and sufficient protection of funds against over exposure to loss. Where the insured is still alive on the maturing of the policy he/she is entitled to the whole amount of the premiums, a share of the profit made over the premiums, a bonus and dividends according to the company policy.