Minister Shaheem admits that work on project continues to stall intermittently, despite resuming with same contractor he earlier criticized

Minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has admitted that work on the B. Kendhoo mosque continues to face intermittent delays, despite resuming the project with the same contractor he had previously criticized.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed stated that the government is considering appointing a new contractor to resume the construction of the Kendhoo mosque. The Minister made these remarks during a session of the People's Majlis on October 22, 2025, in response to a query from the Member of Parliament for the Kendhoo constituency, Mauroof Zakir.

Responding to the member's inquiry, Minister Shaheem stated that since the commencement of the mosque's construction, work had proceeded without an engineer on-site, resulting in numerous deviations from the original architectural drawings. He noted that these issues led to significant disruptions and eventually brought work at the site to a standstill. The Minister further explained that despite instructions to rectify these discrepancies, no resolution had been reached as of August 12, 2025. He emphasized that the construction of the Kendhoo mosque remains a high priority for the Ministry and assured that the project would continue to receive special attention to ensure its completion.

To expedite the project, progress meetings were held where necessary improvements were identified, and multiple discussions were conducted with the contractor regarding the acceleration of the work. Furthermore, these concerns were consistently communicated through emails and phone calls. However, as no solution was reached, the Ministry intends to terminate the contract and reassign the project to a new contractor. Consequently, the legal process to terminate the project has now been initiated. Due to numerous challenges in resolving the issues surrounding this mosque, it is difficult to provide a specific opening date at this time. Nevertheless, I want to assure the residents of Kendhoo that we will bring this project back on track as quickly as possible and ensure that a path toward completion is secured.

Minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed

Despite the Minister’s remarks during that session, the contract has yet to be terminated, and the project has not been reassigned to another party. Speaking to RaajjeMV regarding the matter, the President of the Kendhoo Council, Ibrahim Abdul Rahman, confirmed that the work on the Kendhoo mosque is still being carried out by the contractor appointed by the previous administration. He further noted that although Minister Shaheem had expressed intentions to replace the contractor due to poor performance, no such action has been taken to date.

During Wednesday's parliamentary session, MP Mauroof once again raised inquiries regarding the mosque project. The member questioned when the construction of the new mosque in B. Kendhoo would be completed and officially opened for the public.

In response to the question, Minister Shaheem stated that the construction of the Kendhoo mosque had already commenced when the current administration took office. However, he noted that the project had been stalled due to various reasons. The Minister further mentioned that he had previously addressed the reasons behind the delays and, as such, expressed little interest in revisiting those details.

However, under the direction of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, efforts are underway to streamline and expedite ongoing projects to ensure there are no further delays. Consequently, work on the Kendhoo mosque is now progressing at a faster pace than before, despite occasional intermittent halts in the construction process.

However, the project has faced intermittent delays. We are currently working to resolve these issues and expedite its completion.

Minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed

Speaking at a session held on October 22, 2025, the Minister stated that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is personally working to ensure the completion of the Kendhoo mosque project. The Minister further noted that efforts are underway to finalize the necessary procedures to appoint a new contractor, stabilize the project's progress, and bring it to a swift conclusion.