Research Studies

Permanent URI for this collection

https://ir.itc.ac.ug/handle/123456789/23

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Diversity, equity, and inclusivity in life insurance uptake: A systematic review of global evidence with insights from Uganda
    (Insurance Training College, 2026-06-08) Patrick Tumwesiga And Boaz Mujuni
    ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Life insurance plays a vital role in enhancing financial protection and household resilience, yet its uptake in Uganda remains persistently low despite growing awareness. Previous studies have explored determinants of participation, but few have synthesized this evidence systematically through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI). This study addressed this gap by reviewing empirical literature and reports of institutions such as Financial Sector Deepening Uganda on life-insurance uptake in Uganda and benchmarking it against global literature to understand how social, economic, and institutional factors shape participation. METHODS The study employed a systematic review design guided by PRISMA procedures. Twenty-three relevant sources including peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations, and institutional reports published in different social science databases including ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis Online, Sage Journals, Academia.edu, and institutional repositories and searched through different search engines like Google Scholar, multidisciplinary portals like JSTOR, citation trackers like Scopus/Web of Science, and open-access aggregators like CORE/BASE, ResearchGate, J-Gate and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Inclusion criteria targeted studies examining life-insurance uptake in Uganda and comparable international contexts, emphasizing demographic and socio-economic determinants. Data were extracted and thematically analyzed along the DEI dimensions, focusing on education, income, gender, age, geography, marital status, and policy tenure. The review was theoretically anchored in Rational Choice Theory, the Capability Approach, and Institutional Theory, which together explain the behavioral, structural, and institutional dimensions of participation. RESULTS The findings revealed notable diversity in life-insurance uptake across demographic and socio-economic groups; however, this diversity was skewed toward the educated, higher-income earners, salaried professionals, married individuals, and urban residents. Uptake was dominant among younger and middle-aged adults and low among low-income and rural populations. Equity in access was constrained by affordability challenges, educational disparities, and urban concentration of insurers; factors that disadvantaged low-income households, the less educated, and rural residents. Inclusivity emerged as the weakest dimension, with older adults, informalsector workers, persons with disabilities, singles, and divorced individuals systematically excluded from meaningful participation. Comparative international evidence confirmed that these inequities reflect broader regional and global patterns observed in Kenya, India, Nigeria, and China. CONCLUSION: The review concludes that Uganda’s life-insurance landscape exhibits diversity without representativeness, equity without fairness, and inclusivity without reach. Participation remains concentrated among privileged groups, while affordability, geography, and institutional inertia limit access for vulnerable populations. Achieving genuine DEI requires deliberate reforms that promote financial literacy, digital and rural outreach, and inclusive product design. Policymakers should embed DEI benchmarks in regulatory frameworks, insurers should develop flexible and affordable micro-insurance products, and development partners should invest in awareness and digital innovation. Future research should examine longitudinal patterns of policy retention, experiences of marginalized groups, and the impact of digital and policy innovations on expanding inclusivity.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Evaluating the adoption of the online motor third party insurance payment system in Uganda
    (Insurance Training College, 2026-06-09) Tom Elvis Okirya Ochola and Susan Mwebaza
    This study examined the factors influencing the adoption of the online motor third-party (MTP) insurance payment system using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical framework. A mixed methods research design was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected from motorists through an online pre-tested semi structured questionnaire, while qualitative insights were obtained from interviews with key informants such as selected customers, traffic officers and insurance agents. The study targeted a population of 1,000 motorists, primarily from Kampala, alongside 20 customers and agents. A sample of 276 respondents was used. The findings revealed that although there is a considerable level of awareness about the existence of the online MTP insurance payment system, its actual usage remains relatively low. While most users perceive the system as easy to use, several still encounter technical and procedural challenges that limit its perceived usefulness and hinder full adoption. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for insurers seeking to enhance customer adoption and for policymakers, particularly the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) of Uganda, to develop strategies and policies that promote broader use of digital platforms in the insurance sector.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Board characteristics ownership concentration and performance of insurance companies
    (Insurance Training College, 2026-06-08) Ndawula Yusuf Katerega and Samsom Rugambwa
    The study investigates how board characteristics and ownership concentration shape the performance of insurance companies in Uganda, an emerging market where corporate governance practices operate within distinctive institutional constraints. Anchored in Agency and Institutional Theory, the research adopts a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative analysis of insurance firms with qualitative insights from board members. The results demonstrate that board characteristics particularly independence, diversity, size, and the effectiveness implied by meeting dynamics play a decisive and positive role in driving firm performance. This highlights the board not merely as a compliance requirement but as a strategic resource that materially contributes to organizational outcomes. In contrast, ownership concentration shows no meaningful direct influence on performance, nor does it alter the strength of the relationship between board governance and firm outcomes. This suggests that strong board structures retain their effectiveness regardless of how ownership is distributed. Overall, the study emphasizes the primacy of board quality in enhancing performance within Uganda’s insurance sector and questions the universal relevance of governance models that emphasize ownership monitoring. The findings provide important implications for regulators seeking to refine governance frameworks and for insurance companies aiming to strengthen strategic oversight through more effective and thoughtfully constituted boards.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Herd behaviour and health insurance demand in Uganda
    (Insurance Training College, 2025-02-26) Dr. Yusuf Katerega Ndawula
    This study explores the impact of herd behavior on health insurance purchasing decisions in Uganda. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the study integrates qualitative and quantitative data to examine the relationship between herd behavior and insurance demand, as well as its key determinants. A sample of 399 policyholders, drawn from Uganda’s eight licensed life insurance companies, was analyzed using surveys and interviews. Findings reveal that policyholders heavily rely on peers, family, and personal doctors when selecting health insurance, driven by social validation and a lack of confidence in independent decision-making. While herding can boost insurance uptake, it may lead to suboptimal choices affecting financial planning and satisfaction. The findings highlight the need for behaviorally informed insurance products and contribute to theoretical discussions on social influence in insurance markets.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Penetration of Takaful Insurance in Uganda.
    (Insurance Training College, 2025-01-31) Munobe Williams & Wofuma Gorden
    Providing direction for the penetration of Takaful insurance is expected to widen the insurance market and shield insurers against the exploitations of conventional insurance. Takaful insurance was introduced in Uganda and is still in its infant stages despite its market presenting a promising potential with the recent increase in the demand for Islamic products. Moreover, the available literature generically presents multiple factors for the penetration of Takaful insurance. The current study sought to explore and classify the diverse contextual determinants for the penetration of takaful insurance in Uganda which is a minority Muslim country. In line with the tenets of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the current study classifies the determinants to promote easy comprehension by the insurance practitioners on the key contextual determinants for the penetration of takaful insurance. The study relied on a pragmatism philosophical orientation with a sequential exploratory mixed research design involving collection of data at two levels to answer the research question by collecting data from the managers of 33 insurance companies and some customers of takaful products in Uganda. The qualitative data was analysed using content analysis by considering the emerging themes on the three contextual determinants of informational, individual personality and demographic/social factors, while the quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The mixed findings revealed that informational, individual personality and demographic factors determines the penetration of takaful insurance in Uganda. Hence, we conclude that focusing on the three contextual determinants of demographic/social, informational and individual personality is paramount in influencing the intention of the public and other stakeholders in adopting takaful/Islamic insurance products in a minority Muslim country like Uganda. The findings of the study contributes to practice by providing empirical evidence to support the development of the takaful sector in Uganda. The study relied of descriptive analysis which did not establish the causal relationship between each of the identified determinants, hence future studies should establish the causal relationship between informational, demographic and individual personality determinants on the penetration of takaful insurance in Uganda or other minority Muslim countries to enrich the finding.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Exploring Microinsurance Opportunities in the Uganda Bottom of the Pyramid Market:
    (Insurance Training College, 2025-01-31) Richard Mwebesa & Emmanuel Isiagi
    Purpose: The increasing uncertainties from the volatile environment are exposing a wide group of world’s Bottom of Pyramid (BOP). In this case, microinsurance is considered the solution for the poor which the insurers should consider worthy exploiting. However, there is a gap between what insurers consider important and what customers would prefer if Insurers are to tap opportunities in the Microinsurance market. This study focused on exploring the microinsurance opportunities in the Ugandan bottom of the pyramid market and provide guidance on how insurers can tap into them from the perspective of both insurers and customers. The angle this study took was to establish a gap between what insurers thought was important and what customers considered important for microinsurance success by focusing on two areas. First, to identify the market entry requirements for the BOP market in Uganda and second, to examine the strategies required to tap microinsurance opportunities in Uganda’s BOP market. Research approach: The study employed an imbedded research design where the study was largely quantitative and qualitative element in the study was used to supplement and provide elaborate explanations to the quantitative finding. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews from the sample that composed of 60 managers (from the major insurance companies) and 120 microinsurance customers at the bottom of the pyramid classified as those that live on 1.04 dollar a day. A descriptive statistics analysis was used (paired t‐test and independent t‐test) to evaluate the gap between managers and customers perceptions on market entry requirements and strategies for consideration if insurers are to penetrate to microinsurance market in Uganda. Findings: The results showed that there was a significant difference between customers and insurers perception on various market entry requirements and strategies for tapping microinsurance opportunities from the Ugandan BOP market. For instance, customers attached more importance on affordability (ability to purchase) and acceptability (meeting individual needs) more than awareness (continuous promotions) and accessibility (bring products close). Insurers, on the other hand, attached more importance on awareness and affordability. Furthermore, the results revealed significant difference between customers and insurers perception on what would be the appropriate microinsurance products, pricing, mode of payment and channel of communication for microinsurance success. Practical implications: From the gap analysis, this study urges insurers to understand how customers perceive the microinsurance products so that insurers can be able to offer valuable microinsurance products that are tailored to demands of the customers at the bottom of the pyramid. Additionally, understanding the customers point of view enables insurers to identify and develop the most appropriate pricing, communication, delivery strategies and modes of payment appropriate for tapping microinsurance opportunities in the Uganda bottom of the pyramid market.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Key factors influencing adoption of Health Insurance in Mbale District in Eastern Uganda
    (Insurance Training College, 2024-11-06) Stephen Nambwira; Tobias Onweng
    The research investigated key factors that influence the adoption of health insurance in Mbale district. A survey research design was employed in which data was collected from randomly sampled respondents and a mixed method approach employed including qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. A sample of 110 elements drawn for company employed and self-employed persons enrolled in five insurance companies was determined by using Krejcie and Morgan Table of Sample Size Determination (Krejcie and Morgan, 1970). Clients of five insurance companies using health insurance were selected. Five key informants comprising managers of insurance companies were purposively selected. Data was collected from key informants using key informants’ interviews and from clients using semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Content analysis technique was used to analyze qualitative data from key informants. Results show that key factors that motivate clients to enroll for health insurance included requirements from their companies that they enroll, the desire to get treated easily when they are sick and the fear of spending out of pocket when they get sick. Factors that made it easy or facilitated clients to enroll for health insurance included employment status, awareness of health insurance, educational status and income availability. The research concluded that key factors that influence adoption of health insurance included requirement by companies and desire to be benefit from easy treated when sick. According to key informants’ motivation to enroll in health insurance included awareness of the benefits of insurance, affordability of insurance premium and quality of health services. The research recommended that the public should be sensitized about the benefits and importance of insurance to increase enrollment of uptake, and health insurance should be made affordable to increase access of low-income communities to health insurance service.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Factors affecting the uptake of Agriculture Insurance by farmers in Ankole sub-region, South Western Uganda
    (Insurance Training College, 2024-11-06) Patrick Tumwesiga; Boaz Mujuni
    Over several decades, agriculture has remained the backbone of the Uganda’s economy. The government of Uganda introduced the agriculture insurance scheme as one of the initiatives to reduce agricultural risks. However, the uptake of agriculture insurance is still low among farmers in Uganda and southwestern Uganda is not an exception. There is a wide knowledge gap on the factors limiting the uptake of agriculture insurance by farmers in rural southwestern Uganda and this study is conducted to fill the gap. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 384 farming households from three selected districts in Ankole sub-region; Kazo, Kiruhura and Isingiro. Data was collected using face-to-face surveys conducted with household heads. In the analysis, descriptive statistics were generated using SPSS version 21.0 and results were presented in frequency tables, graphs and charts. The study findings revealed that the most significant factors affecting uptake of agriculture insurance among farmers in Ankole sub-region are low level of income affecting affordability, lack of education affecting knowledge and awareness, low expectation of risk occurrence, trust issues against insurance providers, limited accessibility of agricultural insurance policies by farmers and stringent terms and conditions surrounding agricultural insurance. The study concluded that the low uptake of agricultural insurance by farmers in Ankole sub region is largely explained by socioeconomic factors and institutional factors. Hence, addressing these challenges is key to improving insurance uptake in the region. The study provided several recommendations that can be adopted by the government, insurance companies and other stakeholders in the agro insurance consortium in order to improve uptake of agriculture insurance. These include farmer education and sensitization, extensive marketing campaigns, increased outreach of insurance offices and increased collaboration between insurance stakeholders.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Examining strategies for building trust for microinsurance among low-income customer segments in Uganda.
    (Insurance Training College, 2024-11-06) Richard Mwebesa; Isiagi Emmanuel
    Purpose: This study focused on examining strategies for building trust for microinsurance amongst low-Income customer segments in Uganda. The specific objectives were; (i) to analyze the factors contributing to low trust for micro insurance and (ii) to establish the key strategies for building trust amongst low income segments. Research approach: The study employed a cross-sectional research design following an embedded research method that blends quantitative and Qualitative approaches. Quantitative approach was central to the study. However, due to need to obtain open and wider insights regarding the low trust, a qualitative method was then adopted to obtain elaborative opinions of respondents. Data was collected using a survey method from the sample of 126 Micro insurance customers with experience in Microinsurance Products. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis to provide understanding of trust building mechanisms. Findings: The findings revealed that several factors contribute to deteriorating level of trust among low-income customers. However, the most notable 5 factors are; low personal experiences with successful microinsurance claims, slow microinsurance claiming process, lack of clear information about the coverage provided by microinsurance, prioritization of profit over customer benefits, failure by microinsurance providers in Uganda to fulfil their promises. Regarding strategies required to build trust, findings revealed 5 top strategies as; adoption of quick and efficient claims processing, provision of regular updates on successful claims settlements, sharing success stories by policy holders, provision of clear and accessible channels for customers to voice complaints and having a well-defined and easily understandable explanation of product benefits. Recommendations: Insurance firms should enhance transparency by ensuring free flow of communication of policies, terms and conditions, Insurance firms should implement community focused strategies where they involve key focus persons in the community such as local leaders, ensure quick and responsive settlement of claims and microinsurance firms should also invest more in building capacity of their agents.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Artificial intelligence application in insurance: :
    (Insurance Training College, 2024-11-05) Akiim Senyonjo; Saul Sseremba
    This paper presents a framework-based systematic review of existing research on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in insurance and lessons for the emerging insurance industry in Uganda. Through a systematic literature review, we identify key findings and their implications for insurers in Uganda. Our study findings through the ADO framework identify the Antecedents, decisions, and outcomes of AI Application in Insurance and highlights the transformative role of AI in risk management, customer service, and claims processing. While the TCM framework is adopted to provide an organized review of the theory, context and methods used in the articles under review. The review aggregates 9 unique antecedents derived from 37 relevant articles and classifies them into three broad categories. The review identifies the research gaps in the extant insurance literature and provides future research directions include investigating the long-term impacts of AI on customer behavior, addressing ethical considerations, and the impact of collaboration among insurers, regulators, and technology providers in the insurance sector.