Matia Kasaija (born 28 May 1944) is a Ugandan politician and diplomat who serves as the current

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

of Uganda, a position he has served in since March 2015. From 27 May 2011 until 28 February 2015, he served as the State Minister for Finance (Planning) in the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 30 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). The number of state ministers reduced by one in September 2024 after the death of Hon. Sarah Mateke who was the state minister for defence. Accor ...

. He replaced

Ephraim Kamuntu Ephraim Kamuntu is a Ugandan management scientist and politician. He has been the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in the Cabinet of Uganda since 14 December 2019. Previously, he served as Minister of Water and Environment from Aug ...

, who was promoted to

Minister of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) *Ministry of Touri ...

. Before that, he served as the State Minister for Internal Affairs, from 1 June 2006 until May 2011. He is also the elected Member of Parliament for "Buyanja County",

Kibaale District Kibaale District, is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. The district headquarters are in the town of Kibaale. Location Kibaale District is bordered by Hoima District to the north, Kyankwanz ...

Early life and education

He was born in

on 28 May 1944. He studied at

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

, back in the 1960s when it was part of the

University of East Africa The University of East Africa was established on 29 June 1963"Universities: East Africa", ''A Historical Companion To Postcolonial Thought In English'' (Columbia University Press, 2005) Prem Poddar and David Johnson, eds., p. 489. and served K ...

. Kasaija graduated with the degree of

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...

(BCom) in 1967.

Career

During the 1980 Ugandan elections, Kasaija, who was 36 at the time, was elected to the Ugandan Parliament. From 1980 until 1981, he served as the State Minister for Labor under

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985. A Lango, ...

's second term. However, in 1981, during the

Ugandan Bush War The Ugandan Bush War was a civil war fought in Uganda by the official Ugandan government and its armed wing, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), against a number of rebel groups, most importantly the National Resistance Army (NRA), from 19 ...

, Kasaija defected to the rebel

National Resistance Army The National Resistance Army (NRA) was a guerilla army and the military wing of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) that fought in the Ugandan Bush War against the government of Milton Obote, and later the government of Tito Okello. NRA wa ...

(NRA) led by future Ugandan President

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and Officer (armed forces), military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2025, he is the third-List of current state lead ...

, and served as a member of the NRA's External Wing from 1981 to 1986. Between 1987 and 1990, Kasaija served as the executive director of the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board, a government

parastatal A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...

that was charged with safeguarding the property expropriated from the Asians who were expelled from the country by

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

in the 1970s. In 1998, he served as the deputy director for mass mobilization at the National Resistance Movement Secretariat. During the 2006 parliamentary elections, he was elected to the 8th Parliament, and was appointed Minister of State for Internal Affairs in June of that same year. In the national elections of 2011, he was re-elected to his parliamentary seat. In the cabinet reshuffle on 27 May 2011, he was reassigned to the Finance Ministry as the State Minister for Planning.

Other activities

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB, also known as BAD in French) is a multilateral development finance institution, headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and ...

(AfDB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015) *

East African Development Bank The East African Development Bank (EADB) is a regional development finance institution located in Kampala, Uganda with the objective of promoting development in the member countries of the East African Community. The current member states of th ...

(EADB), Ex-Officio Member of the Governing Council (since 2015) *

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

(IMF), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015) *

Islamic Development Bank The Islamic Development Bank (, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There are 57 shareholding member st ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015) *

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. These guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against ...

(MIGA),

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015) *

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015) * Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, Co-chair (-2019)Leadership
Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation.

Personal details

Matia Kasaija is married. He is reported to enjoy

travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), locations. Travel can be done by Pedestrian, foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without Baggage, luggage, a ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, and

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

References

External links