Bukenya Kenneth:
Ugandans have been urged to embrace insurance as a safety net to drive productivity, reduce risk, eliminate anxiety, and strengthen financial resilience for rural communities.
The call was made by the Luweero Town Mayor, Mr. Mukungu Ssenyonga, during a two-day sensitization workshop organised by the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) at Luweero Apartments Hotel, in Luweero from May 20 to 21st, 2026.
The workshop drew participants from the districts of Luweero, Nakasongola and Nakaseke, including district production officers, Commercial officers, Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO) leaders and model farmers.
“While these districts predominantly depend on agriculture for livelihood, climate change has left farmers at the mercy of unpredictable weather changes yet they have no contingency plan,” Mr. Mukungu said.
He thus encouraged them to embrace insurance to protect against losses and consequently minimize poverty levels which he said are so high in the region.
“Farmers are securing loans for home consumption instead of investing in agriculture to create an income stream. This is due to the worry of the almost certain losses facing agriculture,” he said.
He also requested the IRA to encourage insurers to include a component of environmental protection in the policies they provide, citing excessive deforestation due to charcoal burning which has greatly contributed to climate change.
The Luweero District Commercial Officer, Mr. Geoffrey Kalyoowa commended the IRA for organizing the workshop, saying it was timely, given the immense risks facing agriculture today. He urged participants to spread the acquired information on insurance in their respective communities to collectively and effectively fight against poverty.
Utilize the Agriculture insurance subsidy
Representing the IRA Chief Executive Officer, Alhaj Dr. Kaddunabbi Ibrahim Lubega, the Director Strategy & Market Development, Dr. Protazio Sande encouraged the farmers and SACCO leaders to take advantage of the government Agriculture Insurance Subsidy to ensure sustainable agriculture.
“In a bid to make agriculture insurance more accessible to farmers, the government established a fund of Ugx. 5bn annually which contributes up to 30% of the premiums for large scale farmers and 50% for small scale farmers,” he said. He further allayed members’ fears of non-payment of claims, citing the presence of the Insurance Complaints Bureau which settles insurance complaints at no charge.
Mr. John Makosya, the Agro Consortium Chief Operations and Impact Officer highlighted that insured farmers are increasingly able to access credit from banks to enable them invest more confidently in modern farming practices.
