NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 12 – The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Uganda is targeting Ugandans living and working in Kenya with savings and investment products as it seeks to increase contributions from citizens living abroad.
NSSF Uganda Managing Director Patrick Michael Ayota said the initiative would allow Ugandans working in Kenya to continue saving in Uganda as they plan for their future.
“Both our people, Kenyans living in Uganda and Ugandans living in Kenya, have made this home. And they have aspirations that one day, they work here and can go back home,” Ayota said.
He said Ugandans in Kenya can use NSSF Uganda products to build savings and investments that could support them when they eventually return home.
The engagement, held in partnership with the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi, brought together Ugandan workers and students living in Kenya.
NSSF Uganda introduced voluntary savings after changes to the law in 2022, with the programme becoming operational in November 2024.
The voluntary scheme allows people without employers in Uganda to make contributions to NSSF.
Ayota said the Fund has opened about 150,000 new accounts since the programme was introduced, with contributors saving close to Sh200 million.
“We expect to see, over time, a growth in people willing to take advantage of that and save more,” he said.
NSSF Uganda’s balance sheet also grew by about $1.8 billion between June 2025 and June 2026, from about $7 billion to approximately $9.3 billion.
Ayota said NSSF Uganda is also working with other pension funds through the Africa Pension Fund, with eight institutions having joined the initiative.
The initiative seeks to combine pension assets and attract more capital for investments, including real estate.
NSSF Uganda and NSSF Kenya have also established an arrangement allowing members who move between the two countries to transfer their savings.
A member who has been contributing to NSSF Uganda and moves to Kenya can request to have their savings transferred to NSSF Kenya. The same applies to NSSF Kenya members who move back to Uganda.
Acting Uganda High Commissioner to Kenya Eunice Kigenyi said the forum also provided Ugandans in Kenya with information on savings, investment and housing opportunities in Uganda.
She said separate sessions were held for employed Ugandans and students, with students receiving career guidance and information on future opportunities.
The forum also included the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), which provided identification services to Ugandans living in Kenya.
NIRA Registrar Claire Olama said having a national identification number or identification card is important for Ugandans seeking to access government services and conduct business in Uganda.
More than 5,000 Ugandans have accessed identification services through the High Commission, with NIRA expecting to serve more people through the programme.
