On Tuesday, May 26, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni named his new cabinet after securing a seventh term in office in January 2026 elections. Several big-name ministers were dropped, but it is that of Matia Kasaija, a long-serving finance minister, that caught many by surprise. Kasaija's fame had transcended borders — not only in Africa, but also in other parts of the world.

To many, Kasaija was not just a treasury chief. He embodied institutional memory, calmness, and humour, a rare combination of attributes for a government official in charge of a critical docket such as finance.

One of his most viral phrases was "money will come", which explained Uganda's then-challenges with revenue generation.

Later, he would appear in a televised press conference, armed with an amiable look and an infectious laughter, saying: "Money is here. I have been telling you money is around. Now you have seen (it). Please, the paparazzi, commend me." He is also on the record saying that Uganda's economy was "doing wonderfully."

Kasaija's replacement

In President Museveni's new cabinet lineup, the 81-year-old Kasaija has been replaced by 45-year-old Henry Musasizi, Uganda's former minister of state for finance, who will now seek to fit in the shoes of his former boss, a seasoned politician and an embedded government insider.

Widely described as the "minister of enjoyment" for his easygoing nature, Kasaija's great sense of humour made him a likeable figure on social media.

He once told Uganda's young citizens: "I am calling on the youth to, please, go work first, make money and then you can come and gamble", in reaction to the addictive gambling culture that had threatened the youth's financial wellbeing and mental health.

But away from his viral social media videos, Kasaija was said to be a hands-on finance minister, who had President Museveni's unwavering trust.

Finance minister for 11 years

Perhaps, that explained why he served as Uganda's finance minister for 11 years, from March 1, 2015.

Kasaija is a member of the Banyoro ethnic group in western Uganda, which had long complained of government neglect before its representatives were incorporated into state administration.

In 2006, he won a parliamentary seat with Museveni's National Resistance Movement party (NRM).

President Museveni, thereafter, appointed him as a junior minister in charge of internal affairs.

Long-serving legislator

Kasaija held that position until May 2011, when he was moved to the finance ministry as junior minister in charge of planning.

It was thereafter that he was promoted to the post of finance minister, nearly four years later.

Currently in parliament, Kasaija represents Uganda's western county of Buyanja, which is in Kibaale district. He secured re-election in the recent January 15, 2026 elections, which keeps him in parliament until 2031. Kasaija would be 86 years old then, and he has revealed plans to retire from active politics thereafter.

The political veteran first served as a member of parliament in 1979 under a short-lived interim government, following the overthrow of Uganda's then-President Idi Amin Dada.

From classroom to politics

Earlier in his career, Kasaija worked as a teacher before shifting to farm management and then as a salesman for an oil company in Uganda.

He studied at Kenya's University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce in 1967.

The ex-finance minister, who was born on November 26, 1944, is married and has children.

In June 2025, he said he would dedicate his time to family and farming after retiring from active politics in 2031.

Janet Museveni retained as education minister

For now, Kasaija remains a member of parliament, but his finance docket will now be run by Henry Musasizi, a certified public accountant and a Bachelor of Commerce graduate from the Makerere University in Uganda.

In parliament, Musasizi has represented Rubanda East constituency, located in western Uganda, since 2011. Since 2021, he had served as Uganda's minister of state for finance, planning, and economic development.

In President Museveni's recent cabinet announcement, he retained his wife, Janet Museveni, as education minister.

Vice President Jessica Alupo and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also kept their positions, while the long-serving Kasaija and veteran Deputy Prime Minister Moses Ali were dropped from the cabinet.