NSSF Revolutionizes Compliance: Unveils Cutting-Edge Whistleblower Portal for a 60% Leap in Social Security Adherence
Written by Aldo Esilu on November 9, 2023
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has unveiled a revamped whistleblower portal, an endeavor aimed at catapulting social security compliance to an ambitious 60% in the fiscal year 2023/24. This digitized bastion now boasts novel attributes, including a cloak of complete anonymity to shield whistleblowers from potential repercussions and an automated tracking facet for reported cases.
Among the novel features, the upgraded portal extends its purview to encompass government labor inspectors. They are now empowered to bring to task recalcitrant government contractors who obstinately defy the new NSSF Act’s mandate, compelling all employers, regardless of their organizational magnitude, to disburse social security contributions for their workforce.
Ayota Patrick the NSSF managing director explained how the whistleblower portal works.
In the revelation of this technological metamorphosis, Patrick Ayota, the NSSF Managing Director, lamented the current state of affairs, disclosing that merely 20,762 out of the 36,426 registered employers are actively discharging contributions to the Fund. This translates to a compliance rate languishing at a mere 57%, exposing over 15,000 employers who are flouting their obligation to safeguard their employees’ retirement funds. Ayota articulated, “The grim reality is that, on average, a paltry 107 cases trickle into the system on a monthly cadence.”
Elaborating on the investigative protocol triggered by whistleblower reports, Ayota elucidated that upon receiving an allegation, the Fund embarks on a probing journey. The accused employer is accorded an opportunity for amicable resolution. Yet, in cases of unyielding defiance, the Fund wields more drastic measures, including litigation and the imposition of punitive penalties sanctioned by the law.
Nssf’s managing Director Mr Patrick Ayota and Ms Barbara Arimi the NSSF Head of Marketing & Communications during the press engagement.
Over the preceding biennium, Ayota declared a triumph in recovering a staggering UGX 8,969,549,733 through legal battles. With the advent of this avant-garde whistleblower platform, the Fund anticipates an escalation in their restitution endeavors, currently encompassing over 390 cases.
Typical aberrations in NSSF compliance encompass employers reneging on monthly social security remittances despite deducting from their workforce’s salaries. Other transgressions include employers neglecting the mandatory 10% contribution on top of the employee’s 5% and under-declaring staff salaries to diminish monthly contributions.
Access to this technological bulwark against non-compliant employers is facilitated through https://whistleblower.nssfug.org/, offering a conduit for members to report malfeasance.
ABOUT NSSF:
The National Social Security Fund Uganda, a multi-trillion Fund mandated by the government, orchestrates its social security services pursuant to the NSSF Act. This dynamic fund, managing assets exceeding UGX 18.9 trillion, invests judiciously in Fixed Income, Equities, and Real Estate assets within the East African region. With an aspiration to burgeon Assets Under Management to 20 trillion by 2025, the Fund operates under the regulatory purview of the Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority, with policy oversight by the Ministers of Gender, Labour & Social Development and Finance, Planning & Economic Development.
