Furaha Finserve Uganda Limited has announced a new partnership with school payments aggregator SurePay to expand access to school fees financing for families across the country.
Under the partnership, parents whose schools are on the SurePay platform can now apply for school fees loans from Furaha, with funds paid directly to school accounts. The loans are repayable within three months, aligning with the school term.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Furaha CEO Denis Musinguzi said the collaboration will significantly improve access to education financing nationwide.
“This product is not just for certain regions like Kampala; it is a fully national programme. Every school across the country that is on the SurePay platform can access this service instantly,” Musinguzi said.
He noted that over the past year, Furaha has supported more than 20,000 children across 5,000 schools to remain in school.
“In terms of real impact, one in three of the children we have supported is a girl. We have made significant inroads not only in financial inclusion but also in reaching vulnerable groups, especially the girl child. One in three girls has been supported through us,” he said.
“Additionally, in the gender space, one in three parents who have taken loans to keep their children in school is a mother. This shows we are creating real impact. With partners like SurePay, we are confident that this impact will expand further and reach many more Ugandans.”
Musinguzi added that in the past year, the company has disbursed school fees loans worth Shs12 billion.
“It is a significant amount and underscores how critical school fees financing is for parents,” he said.
SurePay CEO Moses Okiror said the partnership will benefit the more than 8,000 schools and over one million learners on their platform.
“In Uganda, we often say education is the key to the future, but the reality we face is sobering. Data shows that of the children who started school in 2012, only about 10% completed Senior Six two years ago. One then asks what happens to the remaining 90%. Their future was not limited by lack of talent or ambition, but by lack of school fees,” Okiror said.
“Our vision has always been to build healthy people and businesses through seamless digital solutions. A school cannot be healthy if its cash flow is unpredictable, and a family cannot be stable if a child misses school due to lack of fees.”
He said the partnership will help bridge the gap between financial constraints and academic continuity in the country.
“We are not just launching a technical integration; we are launching a lifeline for the education sector. By embedding purpose-based financing directly into the SurePay ecosystem, we are enabling parents to access school fees loans at the point of payment and choose flexible repayment plans aligned to their income cycles,” he said.
“This is particularly important for parents who earn in small, irregular amounts. This partnership will help ensure children can attend school on time.”
Okiror added that the initiative will help keep learners in school without disruptions.
“For schools, this means predictable fee collection and better operational planning. For parents, it means managing costs with dignity through a trusted platform they already use every day,” he said.
