KAMPALA – The Bank of Uganda on Tuesday night issued a statement confirming that the Governor Emmanuel Mutebile is on the sick bed, but responding well to treatment.
Ms Charity Mugumya, the Central Bank’scDirector of Communications said in a statement posted on the bank’s Twitter handle that the governor was unwell, but “his doctors attended to him and he is currently recovering very well”.
PML Daily reported on March 30 that Mr. Mutebile was fighting for his life at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala where he was admitted early last week.
Mr. Mutebile, who has been in and out of hospital since 2015, was reported in such a poor health condition that he is not expected to return to office soon.
His poor health condition prompted BoU Board of Directors to appoint Dr Adam Mugume, the current BoU Director of Research, as the acting Deputy Governor last Friday so that there was a substantial person to make decisions and avoid leaving a leadership vacuum.
Sources have intimated to PML Daily that the Governor’s poor health later forced President Museveni to appoint Dr. Michael Atingi-Ego the new deputy governor of Bank of Uganda, replacing Dr Louis Kasekende whose contract ran out in January this year.
The President announced the appointment on his social media pages on Sunday, March 29, adding that the appointee awaits vetting by Parliament.
Much as Dr Ating-Ego had been on Museveni’s list of potential appointments, he had not been in a rush to appoint him at this time when the country is struggling to contain Coronavirus pandemic.
However, with the central bank lacking a potential decision maker in the face of coronavirus pandemic, the President had to act.