Several Bank of Uganda staff expect the contract of the Deputy Governor Dr Louis Kasekende which will expire on 18th January 2020, to be renewed in the coming days.
Dr Kasekende 61, is completing a decade in the same position, making him the longest-serving deputy governor.
According to several staff members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kasekende is expected to stay on the job at least until after the 2021 general elections, claiming the contract is issued by President Museveni but must be recommended by different sources.
“Nearly everyone at the central bank, Ministry of Finance, and perhaps a good majority of the knowledgeable power brokers want to have him in there [at BOU] especially as we head into the tense election season,” said one staff member.
Another staff member said all indications show “the deputy governor was likely to stay on”. The appointment is made by President Museveni but he gets recommendations from different sources.
Also, a source said, there is lobbying from senior Catholics figures in the country that Kasekende stays on in the post – an important aspect politically. But some staff at the central bank said this was minor because there are other senior catholic economists that can take up the post.
Kasekende first served as the deputy governor between 1999 and 2002 before moving to work as the chief economist of the Africsn Development bank from 2006 to 2009.
Kasekende was widely seen as a possible replacement for Governor Emmanuel Mutebile, whose contract will expire in 2021.
