President Yoweri Museveni’s most highly paid advisor Ezra Suruma earns Shs100m every month, a ministerial policy statement for the Office of the president indicates.
Dr Ezra Suruma is Museveni’s senior advisor on finance and economic planning. His advisory role is runs under a full time contract.
A former deputy governor of the central Bank of Uganda and finance minister, Suruma was from 2016 until 2023 the chancellor of Makerere University.
Earning a cool Shs100m per month, Suruma is arguably among the most paid government employees in Uganda.
He earns about five times better than what former prime minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi and Dr Ruhakana Rugunda earn every month. Special presidential envoys Rugunda and Mbabazi earn Shs20m per month, each.
PROF EZRA SURUMA PROFILE
A profile published on the Makerere University website details the journey, qualifications and achievements of Professor Ezra Suruma: It describes him as a distinguished scholar and statesman with a wealth of experience in the field of finance and banking, spanning more than 25 years.
He attained a doctorate degree of economics in 1976 from the University of Connecticut, USA; a Masters of Arts in Economics in 1972 and a Bachelor of Science in Finance in 1969, both from Fordham University, New York, USA.
He is a person of high integrity, excellent public relations and with proven ability to market and internationalize the University. Prof. Suruma is a Senior Presidential Advisor responsible for Finance and Planning. He serves on the Board of the National Planning Authority, participates in numerous national and international economic policy discussions and initiates proposals for policy change. He is the Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit responsible for the implementation of priority programmes of the Uganda Government.
From 2005 to 2009, Prof. Suruma served as the Minister of Finance. He was internationally recognized for his outstanding service when he won the award of Africa’s Best Minister of the Year 2008.
Prof. Suruma has been at the centre of objective interactions and negotiations with numerous financial institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, African Development Bank, China Development Bank among others. He is also a Founder Member of Ugafode Microfinance Ltd, a bank with 12 branches in Uganda.
In 1972, Prof. Suruma began his academic career as Assistant Professor at Florida A&M University, USA. He joined the Makerere University service in 1973. From 1973 to 1975, Mr. Suruma was a Lecturer in the Department of Economics, Makerere University. He returned to Florida A&M University in 1976 as Associate Professor of Economics. In 1979, Dr. Suruma returned to Makerere University at the rank of Senior Lecturer, a position he held until 1981 when he moved to Coppin State University in the USA as Professor and Head of the Department of Management Science. To date, he continues to pursue academic interests with several recent publications including “Advancing Uganda’s Economy: A Personal Account” and “African Perspectives on Sovereign Debt Restructuring”.
Following a distinguished career in universities in Uganda and the Unites States, Prof. Suruma joined Government service in 1987 as the Director of Research in the Central Bank. He rose to the rank of Deputy Governor of the Bank in 1990 and later served as the Chairman/Managing Director of Uganda Commercial Bank.
Between 1990 and 2009, Prof. Suruma held various positions including Chairman Governing Council of the African Export Import Bank from 2008 to 2009; Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Panel of African Finance Ministers from 2007 to 2009; Chairman Governing Council of the East African Development Bank from 2006 to 2009; Chairman Governing Council of the Preferential Trade Area (PTA) Bank from 2007 to 2008; Secretary of the Commission for Fast Tracking the East African Federation from October 2004 to January 2005; and Director of Economic Affairs for the National Resistance Movement Secretariat.
Prof Suruma has been a significant player in the stabilization, reconstruction, restructuring and management of the Ugandan economy since 1986. He has always maintained a passion for economic justice and economic emancipation of the Ugandan people.
He went to Washington in 2010 as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and in 2014, the Brookings Institution Press published his book, Advancing the Ugandan Economy, A personal account. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canada.
Suruma is married to Specioza Suruma. The couple is blessed with ten children, including six adopted orphans. He enjoys tennis and music.
DR BETTY NAMUKWAYA
Suruma is followed by senior presidential advisor on agriculture Dr Betty Namukwaya, a plant scientist with skills and knowledge on molecular biotechnology, who earns a cool Shs90m every month.
Other senior presidential advisors such as Caleb Akandwanaho aka Gen Salim Saleh, who advises his brother Museveni on defence, earn up to Shs17m.
You can see the list of other Museveni advisors, and how much they earn every month, as well as most highly paid State House staff, and presidential aeroplane crew members Here, There and Over There.
The full salary structure for the current financial year is Here.
