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National Social Security Fund (NSSF) is in the process of amending the Fund’s laws to include ‘Unemployment Fund’ to cater for individuals without any job or source of income.

The move comes even as the fund plans to bring onboard the informal sector that includes the 582,000 Jua Kali artisans in the Fund.

Managing Trustee Davis Koross said that they have already drafted the amendments, but have not deliberated on them with the Board of Trustees, as is the practice before they are brought before the Committee.

Speaking during a retreat organised by Thika Town lawmaker Alice Ng’ang’a led Social Protection Committee in Mombasa, Koross pointed out a number of loopholes in the law that have largely exacerbated the court battles they have been handling.

Koross, part of the amendment is the proposed inclusion of what they called ‘unemployment fund’ in the NSSF Act.

“Currently the Fund has 3.5 million members and we intend to bring on board more members especially those in the Jua Kali sector which has more than 500,000 members across the country,” said Koross.

While calling on the members of the Committee to support NSSF in achieving the intended objectives, Koross charged that the National Pension fund had acquired an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code adding that contributions can be made online including those in the informal sector.

“NSSF is all inclusive fund. It is a tripartite arrangement that brings together the government, workers and employers as key determinants of decisions. We have moved away from the legacy issues that have been bedeviling NSSF, through set structures. We now have a USSD code that allow members to make contribution online,” said Koross.

Koross made the remarks during a tripartite meeting between NSSF, the National Assembly Social Protection Committee, the National Treasury and Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu)