Absa Bank Uganda Appoints Standard Chartered Bank’s Moses Rutahigwa as Retail and Business Banking Director  Sixteen years after starting out as a teller, Moses Rutahigwa returns to Absa Bank Uganda in a powerful homecoming — this time to lead its Retail and Business Banking unit, bringing full circle a remarkable career in regional banking.

In a strategic move aimed at deepening its customer-centric agenda and accelerating its retail and SME banking growth, Absa Bank Uganda has appointed seasoned banker Moses Rutahigwa as the new Retail and Business Banking Director, effective May 2025.

He replaces Musa Jallow who left the position in September 2024.

Highly placed sources at Absa told CEO East Africa Magazine that Rutahigwa’s appointment is “part of a broader strategy to reinforce Absa’s leadership in retail banking, wealth management, and SME growth in Uganda.”

“Moses brings with him a wealth of experience in transforming business models and driving sustainable retail banking performance across regional markets,” one of the sources said. “His ability to lead growth, coupled with a solid track record in innovation and change management, is exactly what Absa needs for its next phase.”

Until his appointment, Rutahigwa was Head of Wealth and Retail Banking at Standard Chartered Bank Botswana, where he steered the bank’s transformation agenda, customer acquisition strategies, and digital banking footprint.

He previously served in various capacities at Standard Chartered Uganda, including Head of Consumer, Private & Business Banking (CPBB), Head of Retail Banking, Head of Client Acquisition & Relationships, and Head of Strategic Transformation, among others.

Rutahigwa’s banking career, which spans nearly two decades, started at Barclays Uganda (now Absa Uganda), where he worked as a Teller and later as a Personal Banker between 2006 and 2009.

He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Makerere University. He is also a graduate of the McKinsey Management Program and the CEO Apprenticeship Program – Class of 2020.

Sixteen years later, Rutahigwa’s appointment marks a meaningful homecoming — both to Uganda and to the Absa brand. He began his banking career as a teller at Barclays Bank Uganda (now Absa) in 2006, before departing in late 2009 to join Standard Chartered Bank as a Branch Manager in January 2010.