For more than eight decades, the call to prayer has echoed across Mumias from a mosque that has witnessed the town’s transformation and served as a spiritual home for generations of Muslims.
By KenyasToday Reporter, Mumia West
Now, the historic Jamia Mosque is at the centre of an ambitious Sh156 million fundraising campaign to build a modern two-storey Islamic centre capable of accommodating a growing congregation and preserving Mumias’ rich Muslim heritage for generations to come.
The present mosque was completed and inaugurated in 1947, with its launch reportedly associated with the visit of the Sultan of Zanzibar that year.Since then, the mosque has stood through decades of social, economic and demographic change in Mumias.
Fathers brought their children to learn the Qur’an. Families gathered for prayers, scholars taught generations of believers, while worshippers sought solace within its walls during moments of celebration, grief and uncertainty.But after more than 80 years of service, the congregation has grown beyond what the ageing facility can comfortably accommodate.
Despite numerous renovations over the decades, the available space has remained largely unchanged while the Muslim population in Mumias has continued to grow.
“The current mosque was built in the 1940s and has been renovated so many times to look what it is. The number of Muslims is growing yet the mosque space remains the same,” said Modern Mosque Construction Committee chairman Rashid Mwanza.
The proposed replacement will be a two-storey facility designed to serve both religious and community needs.According to Jamia Mosque Imam Abdallah Musa, the project is intended to create a lasting institution that reflects the historical importance of Islam in Mumias.
Photo| Proposed Kshs156million Mosque.
“The proposed two-storey building facility with a floor for men, another floor for women and another one with offices, hall and other amenities is envisioned as a long-term investment in the spiritual and social life of Mumias, a place where today’s Muslims can worship while laying a foundation for generations yet unborn,” Imam Abdallah said.
Beyond daily prayers, the facility is expected to provide additional space for Islamic education, community meetings, offices and other activities.The construction committee is appealing for support from Muslims in Mumias and across Kenya, as well as those living abroad, businesses, organisations, philanthropists and friends of the Muslim community.
The target is Sh156 million, a figure the committee acknowledges will require a collective effort.
“Any contribution, whether large or small, will bring the community a step closer to raising the walls of the proposed mosque,” Mwanza said.
The proposed project also seeks to preserve a significant chapter in Mumias’ religious history.The spread of Islam in the area is closely associated with Arab-Swahili traders and inland caravan networks that connected the East African coast with communities in Western Kenya.
Mumias’ position as the political centre of the Wanga Kingdom under Nabongo Mumia also played a role in the religion’s expansion.Muslim traders established commercial and personal relationships with the royal court, creating opportunities for interaction between coastal Muslims and the local population.
Historical accounts also associate Nabongo Mumia with Islam, a development that would have had significance given his political authority over the Wanga community.
As Islam gained a foothold, Muslim scholars and teachers contributed to the establishment of Qur’anic and madrasa education, helping transform the religion from a faith largely associated with visiting traders into an established part of the social and religious life of Mumias.
The town subsequently became an important centre for Islamic education and missionary activity in inland Western Kenya, with Muslim teachers from the area travelling to other parts of the region and beyond.For the Muslim community in Mumias, the proposed mosque is therefore more than a construction project.It represents an attempt to preserve an important heritage while responding to the realities of a growing congregation.
The Sh156 million campaign is also being presented as a collective investment in the future, one that honours the generations who worshipped at the historic mosque while creating space for those yet to come.As the fundraising drive gathers momentum, the committee is calling on the Muslim faithful and well-wishers to join in building what it hopes will become a new landmark of faith, education, community and heritage in Mumias.