Halal Management Practices and Public Policies in Uganda: The Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

Halal is an Arabic word that means ‘lawful’ or permissible according to the Quranic injunction and the sayings and silent approval of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) [Ahadith]. It connotes an Islamic path to slaughtering an Animal or poultry (dhabiha) by slaughtering or cutting the jugular vein of an animal according to Islamic dictates, draining the blood from the carcass, and allowing the life to be out without forcing the Animal or the poultry to death. The Animal or the Poultry must be alive, healthy, and conscious at the time of the slaughtering thereby considering such as Halal. For Muslim believers, Halal foods and drinks are holistic that every consumption must be safe, healthy, hygienic, and not harmful to the body system.

This article adopted an exploratory approach and review of the literature to investigate the prospect and challenges of Halal practices among Ugandan Muslims and the position of the non-Muslims on Halal management and the general public policies towards Halal practices in the country. This understanding and awareness explain that non-Muslim requires the support of Muslim friends or Muslim neighbor for slaughtering their animals and equally becoming robustly accepted across faith while Halal regulations and industry is fast expanding around the country.

By the foregoing, this study intends to explore the challenges and the emerging opportunities on Halal products in Uganda despite the little available literatures on the subject, the work will provide another avenue for Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, the Government, private Halal practitioners and policy makers to improve their policy decisions and apparatus of making both Muslims and the non-Muslims to be active and conscious of halal products and services.