(Assoc Prof and Dean of MakSPH, Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, (in the middle), Michael Mugisa (with black tie), Ignatius Mawanda (in red tie) and some of the staff who attended the seminar)
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) team ran a lunchtime show on Wednesday 21st, August 2018 at the College of Health Sciences’ Davis Lecture Theatre from 1 – 2 pm. The interaction centred on what NSSF is and how staff at the College of Health Sciences fit in the Social Security benefits scheme.
The Dean of MakSPH present in person, Dr Rhoda Wanyenze, welcomed the NSSF team to the Seminar. With a slight hue of disappointment at the number of staff available, she encouraged the team to share what they had prepared.
Michael Mugisa, the NSSF data manager elaborated, albeit quite swiftly, on how the fund benefits its members, highlighting the 11.23% interest rate given out at the end of Financial Year 2016/17. “We are not a tax body, nor a bank/deposit body, and neither are we an insurance company”, said Mugisa.
Debate and concerns raised by the audience pivoted around the nature of the schemes that beneficiaries of the scheme like the Makerere University staff, are part of. Ignatius Mawanda, the Corporate Affairs Manager at NSSF, clarified that NSSF is mandated to only allow employees to be exempt from NSSF remittances if they are getting a better Social Security benefit scheme. Citing an example of the Makerere University Retirements Scheme, he further explained that an employee cannot be exempted from remitting monies to NSSF on grounds that the said employee has joined Makerere University on permanent terms. “But the same employee will be exempted if they join say the Parliamentary Pension Scheme which contributes better rates than NSSF,” he added.
Zuriah Namakula chaired the seminar.
