Joseph Mubiru

Joseph Mary Mubiru (born 29 January 1929) was a Ugandan economist and banker. He served as the governor of the Bank of Uganda, the central bank of Uganda in 1966.

Early life and educational background Mubiru was born on 29 January 1929 in Kalungu sub-county (then part of Masaka district, now Kalungu district) to Maria Alibayagadde and Yakobo Zake. He began his education at Villa Maria Primary School from 1938 to 1943, continued at Bukalasa Secondary School, and later studied at St. Thomas Major Seminary Katigondo between 1951 and 1952.

After leaving the seminary, Mubiru worked with the National Bank of India before earning a scholarship to study at the University of Kerala in Southern India, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree in Economics from 1954 to 1959. He then pursued graduate studies at New York University in the United States, obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Economics between 1959 and 1962.

After the government reorganised the Uganda Credit and Savings Bank into a state‑owned commercial institution in 1965, Mubiru was appointed its first Managing Director. He later chaired the committee charged with setting up Uganda’s central bank and, when the Bank of Uganda was established in 1966, Mubiru became its first Governor.

While serving as Governor of the Bank of Uganda, Mubiru was appointed a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in London and of the International Bankers Association in Washington. He was also one of the founding members of the Uganda Institute of Bankers.