Charles Nyonyintono Kikonyogo

By Patrick Luganda Governor Kikonyogo is dead. The war against cancer made his life a flickering flame in a turbulent storm. After two years of relentless battle, he put his case to rest last Friday at Mulago hospital. For a decade till his retirement last year, Bank of Uganda was Kikonyogo and Kikonyogo was Bank of Uganda. Charles Nyonyintono Kikonyogo, served his country to the best of his ability. He humbled himself through life to rise to the pinnacle of the financial industry. The makings of a great financial controller were obvious early in his career. Juniors in the industry looked up to him as a father. "He was like a father to us. He would listen to all presentations during meetings without prejudice. He spearheaded training of staff especially in research and development," says a middle ranked manager at Bank of Uganda. Dr. Louis Kasekende, the deputy governor Bank of Uganda summed the juniors' relationship with the governors. "He nurtured us from junior staff to senior levels. He was a principled man with a high degree of integrity. He approached issues with impeccable calmness." Kikonyogo made his lifetime statement on the day he was baptised. He was about 10 years then in 1945. Reverend Yolamu Mutumba baptised him Alexander Kikonyogo. The name sent little Kikonyogo literally mad. During the party after the baptism ceremony he cried, cried and cried. The lad would have nothing to do with the name. Trouble was Alexander was the name of the village drunkard in Bukuya village. His being named thus brought endless tears to his eyes. "How can you give me the drunkard's name," cried Kikonyogo. " His father, Samuel Balagadde was perturbed. He consulted his friend Joshua Serunyiigo who offered the alternative name of Charles. You see Prince Charles of Britain was born in the year he was baptised. They added the name of Nyonyintono after a Buganda kingdom Premier of the time," Richard Bakaluba, a cousin told mourners at the family home in Bbunga. A pioneer staff in the infant bank of Uganda in August 1967, Kikonyogo worked with the late Governor Mubiru first as banking officer and by 1975 he was the Deputy Governor of the Bank. In 1979 he was made governor until Idi Amin was toppled. Later in the same year he was appointed deputy governor and left in June 1980 for Nairobi where the World Bank identified him and recommended him for the post of governor, Bank of Botswana. He returned to Uganda in 1987 after his five-year contract expired. He returned to work with Spear Motors and the Nile Bank as the managing Director until he was appointed Governor Bank of Uganda in 1990, a position he held till his retirement in 2000, mourners were told. The Minister of Finance, Gerald Sendaula acknowledges Kikonyogo's leadership qualities as having steered the Bank of Uganda to the unique position of independence for the central bank. "He spearheaded economic policies in the finance sector and also spearheaded battle to gain independence of the central bank," says Sendaula. "Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways..." the congregation that thronged Namirembe Cathedral sang in chorus, in harmony. They sang to the tunes of the renowned Namirembe organ. The body of Charles Kikonyogo lay in state, on the final visit to the cathedral. He was the Chairperson of the Committee that was charged with purchasing the very organ that bade him farewell. It churned out praise in acknowledgement of the sh30m that Kikonyogo contributed towards the purchase of the organ that now boomed with life. Little wonder. His attachment to music spawns several decades. The love story dates back to his days at King's College Budo from 1954-1956 when he was the bass star in the legendary Nightingale Choir that has survived to date. He was also an ardent lover of the traditional long drum the engalabi. His love for music made some people mistake him for one to be taken for granted. "He was a straightforward man of strong resolve...Abamu bagamba nti yali talina maanyi...munanafu. Naye bweyalumanga nga nerinyo ligenderamu' ...meaning ...Some said he was weak but when he would bite the tooth would also stick in, "says John Nagenda, a former schoolmate. The ability to bite is recognised by senior banking experts who attribute the strong financial performance of the economy to his steadfastness. "He is the prime mover of the strong economic policies that are currently in the finance sector," says Gerald Sendaula, Finance Minister. "A gallant son of Uganda. He had rare qualities. They include discipline, thoroughness, dedication and strict adherence to the professionalism," said President Museveni in a speech read for him by Professor Rugumayo. "His policies helped the Uganda Commercial Bank to survive the financial tremors that shook the financial sector in 1999," says Alfred Oder, Marketing Manager UCB. Strong self discipline and hard work started way back in Bukuya Primary School when he completed Primary six in 1949. He joined Makerere College the next year until 1952 when he went to Ndejje Junior School in 1953. In Ndejje, he won a scholarship to King's College Budo for his Ordinary Level education where he excelled in history. He joined the Royal College Nairobi from 1957-1959 and promptly joined Bishop School, Mukono for his first assignment as a teacher. The following year he won a scholarship to North Carolina University in the United States and transferred to Brandeis University in Boston where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1964. Fired by the success in his undergraduate studies, Kikonyogo did not return home. He pursued a Masters degree in Public Administration at New York University, Syracuse graduating in 1965. Armed with the high level of education, he returned home to first serve as Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Local Government in the Mengo Government before starting his lifelong banking career with the Bank of Uganda. Charles Nyonyintono Kikonyogo is survived by his wife Florence Bakanansa and four children Dr. Alexandria Kulubya, Edwin Balagadde, Richard Sserunkuuma and Elizabeth Nalugya. ends