Airtel Uganda pays UGX 42.6 billion dividend to NSSF, which says its stake has more than tripled in value
Airtel Uganda Managing Director & CEO, Soumendra Sahu, hands over the cheque worth UGX 42.6 billion to NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota during the press conference announcing the dividend in Kampala.
Airtel Uganda has handed the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) a dividend cheque of UGX 42,609,880,000, the return on the Fund's investment in the telecom company.
NSSF owns 10.6 percent of Airtel Uganda and is its largest Ugandan institutional shareholder. The handover comes days after the Fund declared a record 22.53 percent interest rate for the 2025/26 financial year, the highest in its history, with UGX 5.44 trillion to be credited to members' accounts.
"Part of it came from Airtel"
NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota said the Fund holds savings on behalf of 2.6 million members with balances, and that its Airtel investment was made for them. He said NSSF bought 4.21 billion shares for roughly UGX 199 billion, an effective price of UGX 47.17 per share after a volume discount. By the end of June 2026, he said, the share value had risen to UGX 152.
"When people wonder where our record 22.53% interest rate came from, part of it came from Airtel," Ayota said, adding that the dividend shows the importance of investing members' savings in businesses that can deliver lasting value.
Airtel points to network growth
Airtel Uganda Managing Director and CEO Soumendra Sahu said the dividend shows the value created when Ugandans' long term savings are invested in productive businesses. He credited growth in the network footprint, better operational efficiency and improved service to customers.
Sahu also pointed to the company's recent commercial launch of satellite to mobile connectivity with Starlink, which extends SMS and light data to compatible smartphones beyond terrestrial coverage. He said the aim is for the value the business creates to reach further across Uganda, including places that have been hard to serve.
Airtel Uganda said it will keep investing in network expansion, technology and partnerships.
