Lillian Keene Mugerwa

Platform for Labor Action has appealed to the government to broaden the benefits it gives to working citizens in its social security schemes.

This comes at a time when there are various calls from the civil society demanding for a total makeover of the social security schemes in Uganda.

The Executive Director of Platform for Labor Action Lillian Keene Mugerwa has told journalists in Kampala that the level of benefits given to Ugandans should be broadened and commensurate to the kind of risks covered.

Mugerwa says for example risks of the subscribers of Uganda’s biggest social security institution NSSF pertain to ill health, loss of income or unemployment.

She says therefore NSSF benefits should cover all those other risks and not just unemployment benefits.

In Uganda only 4.1 of the total population are protected by social protection while 8.2% contribute to and expect to benefit from social security schemes.

By Tiberindwa Zakaria