NGO refutes SSFR’s listing among pension defaulters

KICUKIRO - A local Non Government Organisation (NGO) Programme d’Appui aux Malades du Sida et Orphelins Rejetes (PAMASOR) has refuted Social Security Fund of Rwanda’s (SSFR) claims that it is a pension defaulter. The humanitarian NGO that helps orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS was recently mentioned by SSFR as being among the pension defaulters. Rwanda’s pensions saving institution allege that PAMASOR accumulated over Rwf 3 million in debt. Located in Kigarama sector, in Kicukiro District, PAMASOR-Rwanda told The Sunday Times that ever since it came into existence it has never had any debt with SSFR. “We don’t have any debt with SSFR. We have always tried to pay on time, but we were surprised to see ourselves in the paper,” Jean Baptist Sengayire, PAMASOR President said in his Gikondo office Friday. “Actually SSFR was here in April to audit us. They claimed that we under declared our pension contributions but we wrote informing them that we were not satisfied with their audit recommendations.” Sengayire also said that they were still waiting to hear from SSFR after their written complaints. The NGO’s Director of Finance and Administration Valence Ndonkeye told SundayTimes that all papers supporting their payments were available and that they had debates with SSFR on how the debts could have accumulated. “The auditing they did was from 2004-7 of which I am sure we paid all years to date. We have even paid the first Quarter 2009. I don’t know how we could have been considered among the 3,000 employers who did not comply,” Ndonkeye said Friday. “They audited all our gross salaries with all allowances including transport allowance. Probably that is where the debts originate and yet it is not supposed to be considered while declaring our pension contributions,” he explained, adding that they wrote to SSFR’s auditing team but have not received any reply to date. SundayTimes has learnt that the concerned institutions, including those recently mentioned in the media, have gone to SSFR headquarters in Kacyiru to check and clear their pension payment status. PAMASOR Mission of Glorious Cross, a member of Franciscan family of the Catholic Church is a faith-based organisation that started in 1992 as a Christian group helping vulnerable people. After getting its legal status in 2003, it partnered with other organisations like National Aids Commission (CNLS) and Global Fund among others that have helped 2,800 orphans and about 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in five Districts. Ends