UGANDA (UPDATE INFO) ON COMPUTER HARD DRIVES STOLEN FROM NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY FUND New Vision Online : Vital NSSF data stolen:

Vital NSSF data stolen
Tuesday, 23rd January, 2007

THE Police are investigating an incident in which over 36 computers of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) were vandalised and their hard disks stolen amid fears that vital information could have been lost.

The Head of the Fraud Unit, John Bwango, said yesterday unknown thugs broke into the NSSF offices at Amamu House located on George Street and destroyed thecomputers before extracting their operating systems.

He said the incident, which took place ‘some days before Christmas’, hinted at an inside job.

“We are still investigating the motive of the people behind the incident but preliminary investigations are pointing at insiders. There is a team assigned to handle that case but they have not yet produced a report,” he said.

Some of the data stolen include files of membership registration numbers, payment of benefits schedules and members accounts statements.

“It is interesting why anybody would steal hard discs,” Bwango commented.

“We have been told that they cannot use it to make claims.”

Reliable source told The New Visionthat key operational and customer related information was lost because Amamu House office is the regional operations office. The source

wondered why it had taken so long for the Police to arrest the culprits or establish their motive.

A CID source said some NSSF staff at Amamu house had already recorded statements with Police.

NSSF communications and marketing manager, Charles Muhoozi, downplayed the incident.

“Our operations department confirmed that it was a small incident which can not affect our operations,” he said.

“We are relying on the Police and our security personnel who have not yet given us a report. We are also interested in what the Police will come up after the investigations are completed.”

Public relations executive, Olive Lumonya said: “We have back up servers at Workers House and the computers have already been replaced by our insurers.” She stated that NSSF members have been accessing their financial statements even after the incident.

There have been reports of delays for clients accessing their contributions information over the last days. It is not clear if this is related to the incident.

NSSF runs an Integrated Management Information System where members can access electronic statements of their contributions.

NSSF has over one million registered members.

Amamu House office is the regional operations office for Kampala and the neighbouring districts as well as the centre of NSSF operations.