Kampala: The Former Bank of Uganda deputy Governor Dr. Louis Kasekende has finally tailed down and bid farewell to the central bank staff after his contract expiry.
In his letter, Dr Kasekende expressed his gratitude to staff and to the appointing authority for according him the enabling environment to serve the central bank for all the years.
“As you already know, my contract as Deputy Governor of Bank of Uganda came to an end on January 14, 2020. I express my profound gratitude to the appointing authority, H.E President Museveni, for according me the opportunity to represent the country in various continental and international assignments,” he said.
He added: “As I reflect upon my time at the bank, I am deeply grateful for all I have met. Serving our country is a worthwhile experience for all of us. We have jointly achieved a lot and should be proud of the tremendous progress for the future of our bank and our country.”
Acting Director of Communications at the Bank of Uganda Kelvin Kiyingi confirmed Dr Kasekende’s exit.
“Dr Kasekende wrote an internally shared email bidding farewell to staff at the Bank of Uganda and that was on Friday, at 4pm,” he said.
Mr Kiyingi said Dr Kasekende had fully executed his mandate using the right procedures. “He complied with all the policies of the bank and handed over in time,” he said.
The Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Mr Matia Kasaijja, said government had not yet deliberated upon the next move on Kasekende’s employment at Bank of Uganda. “The President who is the appointing authority is a very busy man,” Kasaijja said.
However, According to sources, Dr. Kasekende tried but failed to meet President Museveni in to talk about the possibility of extending his contract, after the President rejected all his requests for audience.
Where trouble came from
In June this year, Members of Parliament raised concerns over the incessant scandals plaguing BoU following the recent mishap in which a consignment of printed currency flown into the country included extra cargo not on the bank’s documentation.
The scandal led to State House’s anti corruption kingpin Edith Nakalema move to arrest several bank officers, although their supervisors weren’t booked.
The legislators hinted on the unsatisfactory behaviour of the Bank of Uganda (BoU) in response to a report presented by the State Finance Minister for Planning, David Bahati, noting that not so long ago the Bank was under investigation for erroneously shutting down commercial banks in the country, a drama that played out in broad daylight probe which exposed bank chiefs as incompetent and fraudsters.