Museveni Mourns Keith Muhakanizi
The Permanent Secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister and former Head of Treasury Keith Muhakanizi died on Thursday 13th April 2023 in Milan, Italy where he had been flown for further management following several months of illness.
According to close sources, Muhakanizi has been in and out of office since 2021 owing to sickness. When he was posted to the OPM from Treasury, the technocrat was away in Turkey receiving treatment.
President of the Republic of Uganda and Muhakanizi’s Boss, H.E Yoweri Museveni has condoled with Mr. Muhakanizi’s family and the people of Uganda;
“I am shocked to hear the death of PS. Keith Muhakanizi. I was aware of his illness but it was being managed, he came to see me before this round of treatment, it is sad that he didn’t make it. I spoke to his wife in Milan and she told me what happened. Condolences to her, the family and the people of Uganda. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
Mr. Muhakanizi has been serving as the Permanent Secretary in the Office of Prime Minister, a ministry responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and supervising government programmes and projects, Mr Muhakanizi wrote in one of his last memos on iron sheets scandal, guiding subordinates on the rightful procedures of official communication as stipulated in the standing orders (Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021) and management of public resources.
He is the former long-serving PS Ministry of Finance & Secretary to the Treasury. As a macro- economist, and a public sector management specialist, Mr Muhakanizi helped in the formulation of National Development Plans, Public Finance and Management Act, The Bank of Uganda Act among others.
He also played a key role in revenue mobilization, introduced commitment control systems that guided development and execution of economic policies for more than a decade at the Ministry of Finance.
As a young graduate economist, Muhakanizi rose through the ranks to the prestigious role of Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, replacing his former boss, the late Kassami who retired in 2013 and died in 2016 at a Nairobi hospital.
Muhakanizi also served as a member of the boards for the several organizations. He served on BOU board, was chairman of East African Development Bank and chairman of Housing Finance Bank Limited and worked with the various ministries, agencies and government departments to streamline accountability and budget discipline.
May God grant him eternal rest!
