Deposit Protection Fund Takes Deposit Insurance Message to Eastern Uganda, Engages Mbale Media Practitioners – May 21, 2026
The Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda on May 21, 2026 held a media engagement in Mbale City, with the aim of deepening media practitioners understanding of deposit insurance and strengthening the Fund’s media outreach in the sub-region. The engagement, hosted at Mbale Resort Hotel, drew reporters, editors, and correspondents from across the sub-region, including representatives from community radio stations, television networks, and print publications serving the Elgon and Bukedi sub-regions.
Speaking at the event, DPF Director Communications – Mr. Patrick Ezaga underscored the critical role that media practitioners play in disseminating accurate information about deposit protection to ordinary Ugandans, many of whom remain unaware of the safety net available to them. “The media is a powerful partner in reaching depositors at the grassroots level,” Mr. Ezaga told participants. “When a journalist in Mbale accurately explains what the Deposit Protection Fund does, they are building trust in the financial system for thousands of people in this region.”
As a Government agency, the Fund provides deposit insurance of up to Uganda Shillings 10 million to depositors, in the event that a licensed financial institution fails. It covers depositors in Commercial Banks, Credit Institutions, and Microfinance Deposit-taking Institutions regulated by the Bank of Uganda.
During the session, Mr. Ezaga walked participants through the Fund’s mandate and its operational procedures – including the process through which depositors are compensated when a financial institution is placed under liquidation. He noted that while the law provides for ninety days within which depositors are supposed to be reimbursed, the Fund has built capacity to pay within an average of four days as seen with the closure of two institutions in 2024.
The engagement featured interactive sessions in which journalists asked probing questions about the scope of protection, the categories of financial institutions covered, and how members of the public can verify whether their bank or microfinance institution is licensed or not.
Mr. Ezaga, noted that the Mbale engagement was part of a broader nationwide outreach programme aimed at equipping the public with knowledge about deposit protection and consequently, contribute to confidence in the financial sector. “Inaccurate or incomplete reporting on bank closures can trigger unnecessary panic among depositors,” Mr. Ezaga said. “Our goal today is to empower you as media practitioners so that your reporting reassures the public and is done from a point of knowledge.”
DPF has in recent months intensified its outreach across Uganda’s regions, having earlier in the year held a Board Town Hall in Mbale that convened stakeholders from the Sebei Sub-region, including district officials and the business community.
