Insurance Brokers Challenge Insurers to End Trust Deficit and Strengthen Partnerships

What the report says

Uganda’s insurance brokers are urging insurers to repair long-running trust problems and deepen cooperation with independent intermediaries, arguing that stronger working relationships are needed to expand coverage and improve service. The concerns were raised in remarks reported by Nile Post, with the discussion centered on how brokers and insurers can work together to grow an industry that still reaches only part of the population.

Ritah Mutesi Kabayiza, chairperson of the Insurance Brokers Association of Uganda, said brokers should be seen as long-term partners rather than just sales channels. She said brokers help clients understand products, assess risks and stay engaged after a policy is sold, which can support better customer retention and risk management for insurers. Kabayiza also noted that some insurers have historically preferred their own agents because they are under direct company control, unlike brokers who represent clients’ interests. She said Uganda has 58 registered brokerage firms and suggested the sector has room to grow as the market expands.

The comments were made at a dinner hosted by the National Insurance Corporation for IBAU members under the theme “Collaboration as a Catalyst for Growth.” Allen Amoko, chief executive of NIC Life, said the company wants to widen access beyond major towns and will rely more on technology, including a planned public app, to reach underserved customers. He also said NIC Life aims to strengthen partnerships with brokers and develop products better suited to different groups of Ugandans. The broader significance is that insurers and brokers see cooperation as essential to increasing insurance uptake in a market where many people remain uninsured.