One of the major surprises in the new cabinet list released by President Museveni is the appointment of Maria Kiwanuka as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Developing.
Maria Kiwanuka, Uganda Minister of Finance
Many people know her as the Managing Director of Radio One/ Radio Two (Akaboozi) and a string of other businesses including Maria’s Galleria. She is also one of the sought after female entrepreneurs in the country, and a close confidant of Buganda Queen mother, Nabagereka Sylvia Naginda. Maria Kiwanuka has also served on the Boards of Stanbic Bank Uganda, Aga Khan Foundation and Nkumba University.
Maria Kiwanuka, an MBA graduate from the London School of Economics is also a Chairperson of the Uganda Registrations Services Bureau that registers all businesses and organizations in Uganda, and a member of the Board of Uganda Development Bank, a Board member of the Uganda Communications Commission, as well as a trustee of the MTN Foundation.
She worked with the World Bank as an Economist and Financial Analyst in the 1980s in East Asia and Southern Africa a countries, before returning to Uganda to launch a string of private businesses. So you can say she has the, education, business, banking, managerial, financial, and public experience necessary to lead the ministry of Finance.
Maria is married to Mohan Kiwanuka the owner of Oscar Industries and other businesses. The business community will no doubt be happy that one of their own is at the centre of controlling the economy, taxes and economic performance as minister of Finance.
But being that she has to read her first budget in about 10 days of her appointment, it is not clear where the budget she reads on June 8th will be containing any of her insights and plans, but she will have her chance for more input in the subsequent budgets.
In her earlier life, Maria Kiwanuka attended Gayaza High School, from where she joined Makerere University, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1976. As Minister of Finance, she will also serve as an ex-official Member of Parliament.
See more in Maria Kiwanuka profile on Wikipedia