Under the new framework, employees and employers each contributed 5% of monthly wages, bringing the total contribution to 10%. The fund provided lump-sum benefits for retirement, invalidity, emigration and survivors of deceased members. Its administration was overseen by a 15-member advisory council representing government, employers and employees.
On October 21, 1967, President Milton Obote assented to the Social Security Bill, establishing Uganda’s first compulsory savings scheme for workers in the private sector and non-pensionable public service.
The legislation laid the foundation for the Social Security Fund, the predecessor of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
The law sought to address inequalities in retirement protection inherited from colonial rule, when formal pension arrangements largely benefited European and Asian civil servants, leaving most African workers dependent on family and community support in old age.
Under the new framework, employees and employers each contributed 5% of monthly wages, bringing the total contribution to 10%. The fund provided lump-sum benefits for retirement, invalidity, emigration and survivors of deceased members. Its administration was overseen by a 15-member advisory council representing government, employers and employees.
Parliament passed the Bill on September 26, 1967, following its introduction by Minister of Labour and Attorney General Lameck Lubowa. The legislation was gazetted on December 15, 1967, and the Social Security Fund was formally inaugurated on January 1, 1968, with registration introduced in phases.
The original fund subsequently faced serious challenges during the economic turmoil of the 1970s, including unremitted contributions. In 1985, the government replaced the original legal framework with the National Social Security Fund Act, establishing the NSSF as an autonomous corporate body.