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Monetary policy

A stack of Ugandan shilling banknotes—50,000, 20,000, 10,000, and 5,000—arranged in a currency counting machine.
Uganda Shilling

BoU turns to dollar sales as political warnings meet market pressure

Bank of Uganda sold foreign currency after rate rises failed to halt the shilling’s slide, despite warnings from Museveni and Ggoobi against using reserves
Street scene outside a luggage shop in downtown Kampala
Uganda Shilling

Shilling closes at record low a week after rate rise

Uganda’s shilling closed at Shs4,208.10 to the dollar, a record low, one week after the central bank raised its benchmark rate
A stack of Ugandan shilling banknotes—50,000, 20,000, 10,000, and 5,000—arranged in a currency counting machine.
Exchange rates

Shilling surrenders rate-hike gains as the dollar returns

Uganda’s shilling erased Wednesday’s gains by Friday, with the dollar back above its opening level on the day of the Bank of Uganda’s rate increase
An illustration for property, mortgages, bank loans and home savings. A model of a house sitting on architectural plans, with a blurred piggy bank in the background.
Explainer

What the Bank of Uganda’s rise to 12 per cent means for the shilling, fuel and loans

How the Bank of Uganda's increase in its policy rate to 12 per cent could affect the shilling, pump prices, and existing loans and savings
The Bank of Uganda's headquarters in Kampala

Bank of Uganda raises benchmark rate to 12 per cent at special meeting

Uganda’s central bank lifted its rate to 12 per cent, the largest increase since 2011, and raised its inflation forecasts as the shilling weakened
Close-up of a Ugandan 50,000-shilling banknote with an orange round-cut gemstone resting on it, other notes blurred behind
Foreign exchange

Shilling weakens further as MPs ask why reserves are not used

The shilling closed at Shs4,085.71 on Thursday. Traders expect further losses as MPs ask why the central bank has not used its reserves
The crest of the Bank of Uganda on its premises
Foreign exchange

Shilling breaches Shs4,000 with reserves nearly double their 2024 level

Uganda's reserves are 86.6 per cent above their February 2024 level, yet the central bank says it plans no dollar sales as the shilling weakens
Vegetables and fruit on a stall at Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona.

Food and fuel push Uganda’s inflation to its highest since 2023

Annual inflation rose to 4.6 per cent from 4.1 per cent as matooke rose 16 per cent in a month and petrol and diesel stayed 30.9 and 42.5 per cent above last year
A stack of Ugandan shilling banknotes—50,000, 20,000, 10,000, and 5,000—arranged in a currency counting machine.
Bank of Uganda

Bank of Uganda tightens liquidity as shilling falls to weakest since 2024

The Bank of Uganda says it can stabilise the shilling, and has raised banks' cash reserve requirement to 13.5 per cent for the second time this year

More Monetary policy

15 May 2026

Monetary policy

Bank of Uganda’s Monetary Policy Statement for May 2026 — Full text

Monetary Policy Committee keeps rates on hold for a seventh consecutive meeting but raises its inflation outlook as fuel costs begin feeding through

The oil and chemical tanker Petrel Pacific moored at a terminal during twilight, discharging ballast water.
10 February 2026

Bank of Uganda’s Monetary Policy Statement for February 2026: the full text

The Bank of Uganda maintains its 9.75% rate, balancing subdued inflation against global uncertainty and a positive output gap

Michael Atingi-Ego, Bank of Uganda deputy governor, at a meeting at the bank's Kampala headquarters, February 2024.
9 February 2026

Bank of Uganda keeps rates on hold as inflation stays tame and growth holds firm

The Bank of Uganda maintains its 9.75% rate, balancing subdued inflation against global uncertainty and a positive output gap

The sun sets behind the unisphere during day five of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 4, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
11 November 2025

Monetary Policy Statement

Bank of Uganda’s Monetary Policy Statement for November 2025: the full text

The central bank's decision reflects its confidence in the improving domestic economic environment, while also acknowledging the ongoing risks posed by the global economy

Bank of Uganda's headquarters in Kampala
13 August 2025

Bank of Uganda’s Monetary Policy Statement for August 2025 — Full text

On 12 August 2025, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Uganda maintained the Central Bank Rate at 9.75%, reflecting persistent global economic uncertainty and recurring geopolitical tensions

Michael Atingi-Ego, Bank of Uganda deputy governor, at a meeting at the bank's Kampala headquarters, February 2024.
12 August 2025

Central bank holds rates with wait-and-see guidance

The central bank hewed to expectations on Tuesday, keeping its benchmark rate unchanged citing “macroeconomic stability” resulting from coordination between monetary and fiscal policies

The head office of the Bank of Uganda in Kampala
13 May 2025

Bank of Uganda’s Monetary Policy Statement for May 2025 — Full text

On 13 May 2025, the Bank of Uganda's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) maintained the Central Bank Rate (CBR) at 9.75 per cent

Bank of Uganda headquarters in Kampala
8 August 2024

Bank of Uganda’s Monetary Policy Statement for August 2024 — Full text

The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee voted to reduce its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points

The head office of the Bank of Uganda in Kampala
8 April 2024

Bank of Uganda raises rates to highest levels in nearly 7 years, nods to strong inflation pressures

The Bank of Uganda raised interest rates for the second time in as many months on Monday, citing the risk of increased inflationary pressures due to a weak shilling

The Bank of Uganda's headquarters in Kampala
4 April 2024

Business activity slows in March

Activity in Uganda's economy contracted for the first time in 20 months in March, according to an official survey, as a drop in money supply suppressed consumer demand

Overhead image of the downtown part of Kampala, with the logo of Diamond Trust Bank Uganda prominent and in the photographer's focus