Through their lawyers Kasirye Byaruhanga & Company Advocates, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has dragged Makerere University to court for allegedly failing to remit its staff savings contributions to the pension fund.
According to the suit filed in the High Court on 3rd October, NSSF is seeking declarations that the university is under statutory obligation to remit social security contributions for its employees to the Fund.
The law allows NSSF to receive 15% from every employer in Uganda to see that one’s gross salary is credited to the individual account held by the Fund. The suit clarifies that Makerere University employs more than five people, therefore qualifies to be a contributing member.
“The defendant (Makerere) is an educational institution providing employment to more than five persons and qualifies to be a contributing member within the ambit of the law,” part of the suit reads.
It is said that Makerere University violated the statutory obligations to the Fund by not remitting the standard monthly contributions of its workers. “The defendant’s action described above constitutes a breach at law for which the plaintiff has suffered loss and damage and the defendant is liable,” the suit states.
Among some of the demands NSSF has asked in this case include; it wants the court to force Makerere University to provide particulars of each of its employees regarding their gross wages and the total social security contributions due on such earnings.
NSSF also wants an order that the university should pay all unremitted arrears of the contributions to date with the accrued interest and general damages from the date of judgment until payment in full, including costs of the case.