By Faridah Kulabako
Increased market activity, coupled with an expansion in coverage soared the insurance industry’s 2025 half year performance, according to the latest figures released by the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA).
The figures show that the industry’s Gross Written Premium (money collected), grew by 8.78% in the first six months ending June 30, 2025, to Ugx.1.06 trillion from Ugx.933.76 billion over the same period last year.
The life insurance business grew by 12.55% from Ugx. 357.81 billion to Ugx.402.71 billion while the non-life grew by 5.59% from Ugx.542.27 billion to Ugx. 572.60 billion.
Health Membership Organizations on the other hand generated Ugx. 38.28 billion up from Ugx. 33.07 billion in 2024, while microinsurance experienced a 242.7% growth to 2.1 billion from Ugx. 61 million in 2024.
The IRA Chief Executive Officer, Alhaj Dr. Kaddunabbi Ibrahim Lubega said the industry registered a significant expansion in insurance coverage, with the total number of insured people rising from 405,837 in quarter 2 of 2024 to 506,119, in quarter 2 of 2025.
Individual policies grew from 352,395 in quarter 2 of 2024 to 402,405 in quarter 2 of 2025. The growth was supported by the uptake of micro-insurance products, which nearly doubled from 62,220 to 111,856.
According to Alhaj Dr. Kaddunabbi who was presenting the industry performance statistics at a press briefing held the Insurance Towers on September 4, 2025, underscores the sector’s growing contribution to financial protection and social security.
Claims payment
The industry continues to honour its obligation of claims payment as seen in an increase in claims payment figures that rose to Ugx. 442.73 billion from Ugx. 423.8 billion over the period. This represents 43.6% of the total collected premium.
Alhaj Dr. Kaddunabbi said the Authority remains committed to ensuring that all legitimate claims are paid so as to enhance value to the insuring public.
Distribution channel performance
Bancassurance as a distribution channel raked in Ugx. 37.48 billion from Ugx. 107.5 billion in 2024, representing 13.54% of total industry premiums.
The brokerage channel, which includes brokers and re-insurance brokers, on the other hand raked in Ugx.301.381 billion, up from Ugx. 298.33 billion over the same period in 2024.
More complaints resolved
During the period under review, the industry received a total of 168 complaints from policyholders, of which 150 were successfully resolved, reflecting a resolution rate of 89 percent.
The total value at risk associated with the reported complaints was estimated at Ugx.18 billion.
This, according to Ms. Francesca Kakooza, Director Legal and Secretary to the Authority, the figures underscore the scale of consumer grievances being addressed and the sector’s commitment to timely resolution.
Vigilance
Enhanced vigilance enabled the Authority intercept four suspected fraud cases estimated at Ugx. 449.7 million.
Alhaj Dr. Kaddunabbi noted that while the number of reported cases was relatively low, the financial exposure was significant, underscoring persistent vulnerabilities in claims verification, underwriting due diligence, and document authentication.
“These findings highlight the importance of strengthening fraud detection mechanisms, inter-agency collaboration, and sector-wide awareness campaigns to safeguard industry integrity and protect policyholder trust,” he said.