By Sandra Kahunde.
Julius Kakeeto is set to conclude his two-year term as Chairman of the Uganda Bankers’ Association, with the banking sector pointing to stronger regulatory engagement, sustainability work and digital security as some of the key areas of progress under his leadership.
Kakeeto has chaired the Uganda Bankers’ Association from May 2024 to May 2026, a period in which the industry dealt with changing regulatory demands, cyber threats, global market shifts and growing expectations for the financial sector to support national development.
During his tenure, the Association strengthened its engagement with the Bank of Uganda, the Financial Intelligence Authority and the Capital Markets Authority on industry-wide concerns, licensing matters and the implementation of new guidelines on corporate governance, climate risk management and cyber risk management.
Kakeeto also led the Central Executive Committee in engagements with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, as the banking industry worked to align its priorities with the National Budget and broader macroeconomic stability.
In 2025, the Association introduced four CEO workstreams focusing on the economy and sustainability, alternative dispute resolution and the judiciary, regulatory reforms, and emerging technology. The workstreams were set up to guide banks on major issues affecting the industry and to support sector-wide transformation.
The Association also launched its first governance training for Executive Directors in partnership with Strathmore Business College, with emphasis on leadership resilience and stakeholder management.
On economic transformation, Kakeeto commissioned an industry-led technical working group to prepare the banking sector’s response to Government’s ATMS strategy. The plan focuses on mobilising capital for small and medium enterprises and expanding private sector credit as part of Uganda’s ambition to grow GDP from about 50 billion dollars to 500 billion dollars by 2040.
Under his leadership, UBA also launched the Banking Industry ESG Framework in June 2024, marking a major step in embedding environmental, social and governance principles within Uganda’s banking and financial services sector.
The Association also advanced the Women Economic Empowerment Initiative, which was launched in 2023. In 2025, UBA endorsed the UN Women Empowerment Principles, strengthening its commitment to gender equality and women’s economic participation in the financial sector.
In November 2025, UBA also signed the We-Fi Code, a global initiative whose secretariat is hosted at the World Bank. Uganda became a code country on 19th November 2025, with the Bank of Uganda named as the national data aggregator for gender-disaggregated financial data.
The initiative is aimed at improving access to finance for women entrepreneurs and creating a more coordinated system for collecting data on women’s participation in the financial sector.
UBA also reported a shift in staffing across the banking industry, with female representation rising from 47 percent in 2024 to 53 percent in 2025.
On digital security, Kakeeto’s tenure saw the launch of the Financial Sector Anti-Fraud Consortium in April 2025. The platform brings together banks, payment service providers, regulators and law enforcement agencies to respond to fraud and cybercrime in the financial sector.
The consortium includes the Uganda Bankers’ Association, the Payment Systems Providers Association, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Pegasus, Yo Uganda, Bank of Uganda, Uganda Communications Commission, the Financial Intelligence Authority and law enforcement agencies.
As he leaves office, Kakeeto is credited with anchoring the Association’s 2025 to 2027 strategy cycle and strengthening the role of banks in Uganda’s economic transformation.
During his term, the Association also received recognition from aBi Finance for promoting green finance and from Uganda Revenue Authority for its contribution to the national tax base.
