The HR Playbook Behind Centenary Bank’s Rise: How Uganda’s Biggest Indigenous Bank Built a Workforce That Wins At the heart of Centenary Bank’s transformation lies a uniquely Ugandan metaphor. A kaduuka — a small neighbourhood shop where every coin counts and the owner knows every customer — represents intimacy, accountability and hands-on stewardship. At Centenary, senior leaders “adopt” branches as their own kaduukas, staying present and reachable no matter the distance. But this grassroots ownership operates within a clearly defined cultural code: EAGLE POISE, the bank’s institutional framework for excellence, accountability, professionalism and integrity. If EAGLE POISE defines how the organisation should behave, the Kaduuka model ensures those values are lived consistently across 83 branches and 3,400 employees. It is the fusion of local ownership and shared standards — village-shop attentiveness at trillion-shilling scale — that has allowed Uganda’s largest indigenous bank to grow without losing its cultural centre.

February 21, 2026February 21, 2026

Solomy N. Luyombo, General Manager – Human Resources at Centenary Bank, is responsible for driving organisational culture and workforce strategy across the institution.

When Fabian Kasi assumed leadership of Centenary Bank in August 2010, the institution managed UGX 807 billion in total assets. By 2024, that figure had expanded to UGX 7.1 trillion — an extraordinary transformation that has positioned Centenary as Uganda’s second-largest bank by assets. Over the same period, customer deposits rose from UGX 630.8 billion to UGX 4.2 trillion, while the loan book expanded to UGX 3.7 trillion. Net profit grew even faster, climbing from UGX 29.4 billion in 2010 to UGX 342.3 billion in 2024. The bank’s physical and human footprint has grown just as dramatically. Its customer base…

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