The Permanent Secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister, Keith Muhakanizi has passed on.

He died at an Italian hospital in Milan where he has been receiving treatment, according to the Government Spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo.

About Muhakanizi

Before his appointment at OPM PS, Muhakanizi – an economist, was at the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development in the same capacity.

He was instrumental in the formation of the macroeconomic policy and planning, financial sector growth, and private sector growth in the country and has served in various departments at the Ministry for years.

He was the chairperson of the EPRC Board of Management and also served as the Chairman of the East African Development Bank since May 25, 2013.

Muhakanizi was both an ardent Development and Macro- Economist, and a Public Sector Management Specialist with thirty-eight years of experience in Government.

In the 1990s, he played a central role in the formulation and implementation of economic reforms that restored the macroeconomic stability of Uganda’s economy.

He guided both the technical and policy development work in the preparation of successive National Development Plans.

Muhakanizi served as a Board Member of the Bank of Uganda, and Chairperson of Housing Finance Bank Limited, Uganda.

Muhakanizi was born in Rukungiri District in western Uganda to the late Rev. Kosia Kajwengye and the late Zeridah Kajwengye. He was born to a family of 7 children, 4 boys, and 3 girls.

Muhakanizi, who until his death was the last man standing in an elite league of the late Chris Kassami and late Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, spent decades at the Ministry of Finance since graduation from Makerere University. 

Keith Muhakanizi, one of the longest-serving technocrats in President Museveni’s government, died last evening at the age of 64.
The Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and former Secretary to Treasury died in a Milan hospital after battling cancer for years. 
   
Muhakanizi, who until his death was the last man standing in an elite league of the late Chris Kassami and late Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, spent decades at the Ministry of Finance since graduation from Makerere University. 
In July 2021, President Museveni sent Muhakanizi to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as Permanent Secretary. 
 
As a macro-economist, and a public sector management specialist, Mr. Muhakanizi helped in the formulation of National Development Plans, the Public Finance and Management Act, and The Bank of Uganda Act among others.  
He also played a key role in revenue mobilization and introduced commitment control systems that guided the development and execution of economic policies for more than a decade at the Ministry of Finance.

He worked in tandem with BoU Governor Tumusiime Mutebile to pivot the Ugandan economy from a socialist leaning towards a capitalist system and together they are credited for restoring foreign investor confidence in the Ugandan economy with their policies and management styles that chimed with World Bank and IMF recommendations. This included steadily withdrawing the government from the business and encouraging private enterprise.

Critics, however, argue that the little-to-no-hand approach in vital sectors of the economy like medical care, power, and education was ultimately responsible for creating a rapacious private class that put profit before the public good.