Mao Pledges Push for National Health Insurance as Industry Seeks Government Support

What the report says

Uganda’s insurance sector is pressing for policy reforms, lower-cost products and stronger government backing as it seeks to expand coverage beyond large corporate clients. The appeal was made at the sixth International Annual Insurance Conference in Gulu City, where Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao pledged to take up the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme with the relevant ministries.

According to the Insurance Regulatory Authority, gross written premiums rose to Shs2.024 trillion in 2025, up from about Shs1.764 trillion in 2024. Even so, insurance penetration remained below 1 per cent of GDP in 2024, underscoring how limited the industry’s reach remains despite higher premium collections. The article also noted that microinsurance premiums grew sharply in 2024, but still represented only a very small share of the market.

Soule Serembo, chief executive officer and principal of the Insurance Training College, said stronger legal and policy support is needed to make insurance more accessible to ordinary Ugandans. He pointed to affordability, low public awareness and the dominance of corporate business as barriers to wider uptake. Serembo urged insurers to design more microinsurance products for boda-boda riders, small-scale farmers and small businesses.

Dr Protazio Sande, the IRA’s acting chief executive officer, encouraged Ugandans to see insurance as protection against losses in work, business and farming. Mao also said his ministry had created a two-week client-charter window for stakeholders to raise pending concerns, which industry players could use to press their case.