The Union Transport Alliance chief executive discusses how digitalisation, access to finance, fuel, insurance, healthcare and online commerce could transform Uganda’s transport sector and the livelihoods of people who depend on it.
By Brian Mugenyi
Uganda’s transport sector is increasingly becoming more than a network of vehicles, drivers, conductors and passengers. It is also a potential marketplace for financial services, digital commerce, insurance, healthcare and other services that support the daily lives of transport operators.
Fred Ssenoga Bagenda, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Transport Alliance (UTA), believes the sector needs an integrated model that connects these services rather than treating transport as an isolated business.
Through the Union Transport Alliance platform, the organisation is seeking to bring together transport operators, financial services, fuel solutions, insurance, healthcare and digital commerce.
In this One-on-One interview, Ssenoga explains the thinking behind the Union ecosystem, the role of digital payments, financing opportunities for transport workers and the ambition to make technology a practical tool for improving livelihoods.
Q: What inspired the idea of establishing Union Transport Alliance as an integrated ecosystem for the transport sector?
Fred Ssenoga: The idea is to create an ecosystem where different services complement one another. Transport operators need more than access to vehicles and passengers. They also need financial services, fuel, insurance and other solutions that support their businesses and personal lives.
As we develop the platform, we want to connect these services so that members can access opportunities within one ecosystem.
As I have explained before, “The ecosystem of Union Transport Alliance is a complete cycle. We are joining and hoping to digitalise our system.”
Q: What do you mean when you describe Union Transport Alliance as a complete economic ecosystem?
Ssenoga: We are looking at the transport industry as a connected economic community. The people working in transport have different needs, and those needs create opportunities for services that can improve their operations.
We are bringing together services such as financing, fuel, insurance, healthcare and digital commerce. The intention is to make these services accessible through an organised platform.
Q: How does the Union Transport Alliance App fit into this vision?
Ssenoga: The app is an important part of the digitalisation process. We want members to be able to access services and opportunities through their phones rather than relying entirely on conventional processes.
The platform is intended to connect members to services that can support their daily activities and businesses.
“With the Union Transport Alliance App, you can get funds and pay later,” I have explained when discussing the financing opportunities available through the platform.
Q: Transport workers often face financial difficulties, particularly when they need money urgently to keep working. How is Union addressing this challenge?
Ssenoga: Access to finance is one of the issues we are trying to address. A person working in transport may need money to meet an immediate operational need, but may not always have cash available.
Through the platform, we are working to connect members to financial services that can help them meet such needs under the applicable terms.
The intention is to make financing more accessible and convenient for people working in the transport sector.
Q: You have previously used the example of a taxi conductor who runs out of fuel. What does that illustrate about the platform?
Ssenoga: It illustrates the practical problems that transport workers encounter. A taxi conductor or operator should not have to struggle unnecessarily when a service can be accessed through a digital platform.
The idea is to connect people to assistance and services when they need them.
The Union platform is intended to make access to these opportunities easier, subject to the relevant service arrangements and eligibility requirements.
Q: What role does RukaPay play in the Union ecosystem?
Ssenoga: Payments are central to the success of a digital ecosystem. You need a system that allows people to make transactions and access services conveniently.
RukaPay is part of the payment infrastructure supporting the Union ecosystem. It helps connect users to payment services and supports the wider ambition of making transactions easier.
Q: What other financial products are being developed for members?
Ssenoga: We have been working around different financial needs, including school-fees financing and other products that can support members.
“The school fees are also available,” is part of the message we have shared about the financing opportunities within the ecosystem.
We are also looking at products that can help people manage their responsibilities and improve their access to services.
Q: How does insurance fit into the transport sector’s digital transformation?
Ssenoga: Insurance is an important part of protecting people and their economic activities. Transport operators face different risks, and they need solutions that can help them manage those risks.
We have discussed the introduction of Twetase insurance as part of the wider range of services that Union wants to make available.
“Soon we are launching Twetase,” was the announcement shared about the planned service.
Q: Beyond transport and finance, why is Union interested in healthcare and sanitary products?
Ssenoga: The people working in transport are part of families and communities. Their needs go beyond the vehicles they operate or the journeys they make.
Healthcare and other essential products are therefore relevant to the wider ecosystem. The intention is to connect members to services that improve their welfare and make their lives easier.
Q: Union Online Duuka is another component of the ecosystem. What opportunity does it create?
Ssenoga: Online commerce creates an opportunity to connect businesses and customers through digital platforms. Union Online Duuka is intended to support this process by creating an online marketplace.
We want the platform to provide opportunities for people to participate in digital commerce and benefit from the growing use of online services.
Q: What opportunities does this create for motorcycle riders and other transport operators?
Ssenoga: Riders and other transport operators can become part of the wider delivery and distribution system. They already have mobility and knowledge of their communities.
By connecting them to online commerce, there is an opportunity for them to participate in deliveries and earn from services beyond their traditional transport activities.
Q: What is the significance of digitalisation to the future of Uganda’s transport industry?
Ssenoga: Digitalisation can improve how services are accessed, how payments are made and how different players interact.
We believe technology should solve practical problems. It should make services more accessible and create opportunities for people to improve their businesses and livelihoods.
“A good robust payment system and the Online Duuka is hoping to change the lives of people soon,” I have said when explaining the ambition behind these developments.
Q: What is your message to transport operators who are not yet using digital platforms?
Ssenoga: The transport industry is changing, and people need to be open to new ways of doing business. Digital platforms can provide access to services and opportunities that may not be easily available through traditional arrangements.
Our ambition is to build an ecosystem that responds to the needs of transport operators and other members.
Q: What should Ugandans expect from Union Transport Alliance in the coming years?
Ssenoga: We want to continue developing the ecosystem, connecting services and improving access through technology.
The different components must work together. Financing, payments, insurance, fuel, healthcare and online commerce are part of the wider vision.
The objective is to build a platform that creates practical value for the people who participate in it.
Connecting transport to the wider economy
Ssenoga’s vision places transport at the centre of a broader economic network. The sector supports movement of people and goods, but it also creates demand for finance, energy, insurance, retail, healthcare and digital services.
Union Transport Alliance is seeking to bring these activities together through its digital platform and partnerships.
The launch of Union Online Duuka on August 20, 2026, added an e-commerce dimension to the initiative, with opportunities for riders to participate in delivery services.
The wider Tuliwamu campaign and Union’s engagements with transport stakeholders are also intended to encourage participation in the ecosystem.
However, the long-term test will be whether the services become accessible, reliable and affordable for the people they are designed to serve.
For transport operators, the value of digitalisation will ultimately be measured by whether it reduces the difficulties of doing business, improves access to financing and creates additional income opportunities.
For Ssenoga, the ambition is to build a connected system in which transport workers are not simply moving passengers and goods but are also participants in a wider digital economy.
The central idea is captured in his description of Union Transport Alliance: a complete economic ecosystem whose different services are intended to work together.
The post One-on-One: Fred Ssenoga on building a complete economic ecosystem through Union Transport Alliance appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.