The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has announced plans to publicly name employers who fail to remit workers’ savings, in a move aimed at strengthening compliance and protecting employees’ benefits.
Speaking during a regional employers’ engagement in Lira City, the Fund’s Managing Director, Patrick Ayota, revealed that NSSF will publish a “list of shame” highlighting non-compliant employers.
“We are coming up with a list of shame that we’ll publish to indicate that you as an employer are really cheating your employees,” Ayota said.
He explained that the move is intended to hold employers accountable and deter continued violations of workers’ rights, warning that failure to remit contributions has serious consequences for workers’ livelihoods.
“If we do not comply and send in those contributions, we are basically messing up somebody’s life,” he added.
Backing the move, NSSF Chief Commercial Officer Geoffrey Waswa Sajjabi said enforcement is necessary to ensure employers meet their legal obligations and protect workers’ savings.
“Compliance is not optional. Employers have a responsibility to remit contributions, and failure to do so affects the financial security of their workers,” Sajjabi said.
The announcement was made during NSSF’s annual regional outreach in Lira, which brings together employers from West Nile, Acholi, and Lango sub-regions to review performance, address concerns, and reinforce compliance obligations.
While warning defaulters, NSSF also used the platform to recognise employers who have consistently complied with remittance requirements over the past four years.
“We also use this opportunity to thank and appreciate those who have been complying consistently,” Ayota said.
Some employers welcomed the engagement, describing it as an important platform for dialogue and accountability.
Harriet Oroma, Human Resource Officer at African Women Rising, said such initiatives help organisations stay informed and improve compliance.
“These engagements help us understand our obligations better and ensure that we remain compliant as employers,” Oroma said.
The Fund believes that combining recognition with public accountability will strengthen compliance levels and ultimately grow members’ savings.
Beyond enforcement, Ayota said NSSF is expanding its reach following changes in the law that now allow individuals in the informal sector to save with the Fund.
“Now anybody can save with the fund,” he said.
To attract more contributors, particularly farmers, the Fund is developing a new agricultural initiative aimed at addressing market uncertainty by linking farmers to guaranteed buyers and minimum price assurances for crops such as maize and soybean.
“A farmer will know there is a buyer and what the minimum price will be,” Ayota explained.