Posts falsely claim Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s daughter is new central bank governor

On April 2, 2024, former Nairobi governor and Kenyan politician Mike Sonko posted his congratulations to Natasha Museveni for her purported appointment as the new head of Uganda’s central bank.

Sonko’s posts on X and Instagram (later deleted) attracted thousands of views, with some commentators expressing shock.

“Is Uganda transitioning from a democracy to a dynasty?” one asked.

“Nepotism is the new economic policy in UG,” read another. “Uganda might have a long way to go, but with family ties like that, at least they'll have someone to sign the checks.”

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Screenshots of the false posts on X (left) and Instagram (right), taken on April 12, 2024

Yoweri Museveni has led Uganda since 1986.

One of Kenya’s leading morning radio talk shows hosted on Classic 105 FM reported the claim as fact and posted a snippet of the discussion on X (archived here), attracting thousands of views.

The same claim was repeated on X (here and here), Facebook (here and here) and news articles in Nigeria.

Cabinet postings

Museveni appointed his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba as the head of the country’s defence forces on March 21, 2024 (archived here).

The announcement followed years of speculation that Kainerugaba was being groomed for the presidency. Uganda is set to hold its presidential election in 2026.

In the same appointment notice, Museveni’s wife, Janet, was named as minister of education and sports, a position she has held since 2016 (archived here).

While Museveni is notorious for appointing his family members to top government posts, the claim that his daughter Natasha has become the new governor of the Central Bank of Uganda is false.

Vacant role

AFP Fact Check went through the list of Museveni’s latest appointments (archived here) as they appear on the Ugandan leader’s official X account.

His daughter Natasha is not included. 

The Central Bank of Uganda governor's position has been vacant since January 2022 when Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile died. His deputy Michael Atingi-Ego has been leading the bank in an acting capacity (see here and here) (archived here and here). 

But concerns have been raised about the prolonged delay in filling the position and in 2023 a petitioner went to court to demand Museveni appoint a substantive governor (archived here). 

As of now, the post remains vacant, even though Tumusiime-Mutebile remains listed on the bank’s website as its governor, notwithstanding his death. 

Museveni’s spokesman Faruk Kirunda dismissed the claims. 

"We have seen the story of Natasha appointment as Central Bank Governor circulating on social media. That story was on April Fool’s Day and should be treated as fake news. We decline to comment on it further,” Kirunda told AFP Fact Check.

While Museveni’s daughter is in private business, she has also produced the films "27 Guns" (archived here) – based on her father’s life – and "Those among you" (archived here), documenting Uganda’s history, politics, and iconic figures.