Over 100 judicial officers trained on how to handle social security cases

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) have partnered to train judicial officers on the legal aspects of the savings scheme in a bid to enhance their capacity to handle social security cases.

The two-day training, which attracted 100 judicial officers, including Chief Magistrates and Grade One Magistrates across the country, was held at Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe on Thursday and Friday this week.

“We want to enhance judicial officers’ knowledge on social security, its objectives, and the law governing it. These topics aren’t taught in law school, but they’re relevant as jurisdiction for social security matters lies with magistrate courts,” said Justice Damalie N. Lwanga, Executive Director of JTI on Friday.

Mr David Rwamatungi, Senior Manager of Mandatory Business at NSSF, emphasised the importance of collaboration.

“We operate under a legal framework, and when we deviate from it, the judicial process takes effect. We need the judicial system to understand and be part of providing social security,” he said.

“96,000 employers are contributing and on average NSSF collects Shs175 billion per month. However, the compliance rate is 57 per cent. Therefore, we have to have every person on this journey to help us ensure that we get 100 per cent compliance of all employers,” he added.

Ms Agnes Tibayeita Isharaza, Corporation Secretary of NSSF, highlighted the key role of the judiciary in enforcing the legal mandate.

“We work together to implement the law and resolve disputes. We’re here to sensitize magistrates about recent amendments and remind them about offences in our law,” she said.

She further noted that failure to register, making wrong disclosures, giving wrong information, sending a wrong contribution, not sending a contribution at all, deducting from employees and not remitting funds, among others are some of the issues that NSSF usually have to take to the courts to handle in a bid to ensure that employers fulfil their obligations.