“While accuracy is essential, insurers should strive to explain key details in plain language that the average person can understand. Simple and clear messaging is a foundation on which trust is built, relationships are nurtured, and perceptions are changed.
That was the key message at the Uganda Insurers Association (UIA) organised Insurance Media Workshop held on August 8, 2025 at Fairway Hotel, Kampala, as insurers and media professionals engaged on how to boost reporting on insurance across media platforms.
Organised under the theme, “Bridging the Gap: Rethinking Insurance Reporting in Uganda” experts said clear and simple insurance messaging is critical in enhancing awareness, which will in turn boost uptake and penetration levels. Insurance penetration is Uganda is currently below 1%.
The Bukedde Newspaper Editor, Mr. Michael Ssebbowa urged insurers to translate insurance in local languages to localize the messaging, noting that it currently feels foreign.
“We need to make insurance simple enough for the ordinary Ugandan that is when we will also give it prominence in our media outlets because our audiences want something they can relate to,” he said.
The NBS TV Head of Current Affairs, Mr. Dalton Kaweesa and Radio One’s Business Editor, Mr. Wycliff Ssebunya urged insurers to stop focusing merely on releasing statistics, instead tell a story from a consumer perspective for the public to how insurance impacts their lives.
IRA CEO Alhaj Kaddunabbi and Mr. Ben Mwine, the Next Media Head of Corporate Affairs and Partnerships (r) speak during the workshop.
The Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) Chief Executive Officer, Alhaj Kaddunabbi Ibrahim Lubega, who was the chief guest alluded to the low insurance penetration which he attributed to limited awareness and trust affordability challenges, among others.
“Bridging the gap between technical jargon and everyday realities is vital to building trust and increasing uptake,” he said.
He commended the media for always labouring to shape narratives in the insurance industry and clarifying concepts that are often misunderstood by the public.
“It is because of your invaluable role that such engagements are organized to update you on the new trends, key developments in the sector, equip you with the information that facilitate your reporting to influence decision making,” he said.
Next Media Head of Corporate Affairs and Partnerships, Mr. Ben Mwine, urged insurers to increase investment in awareness campaigns, noting the direct link between advertising spend and insurance uptake.
The UIA Chairperson, Ms. Ruth Namuli, alluded to the need to simplify insurance messaging, saying it is paramount in building trust which is a cornerstone for growth of the insurance sector.
She also urged insurance sector players to be more transparent and accessible to media for them to report responsibly.
The UIA CEO, Mr. Jonan Kisakye said said the engagement sought to demystify complex insurance terminologies and equip media professionals with the right context and contacts to cover insurance accurately.
“Media helps hold both government and the private sector accountable, especially the insurance sector which receives premiums with a promise to deliver in case of a claim.
“We sell a promise of standing with you when the insured risk becomes a reality. But that promise can only be trusted when it is understood,” he said.
Ms. Ruth Namuli, the UIA Chairperson and CEO, Sanlam General Insurance (L), speaks to media after the workshop, while Mr. Jonan Kisakye, the UIA CEO (r) speaks during the workshop.