Over 300 eldrly persons in Kibiga sub-county Kiboga district on Friday received the first cash transfers under the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) programme.
This was during the grand launch ceremony of the programme in the district at Kiboga sub-county headquarters. Gender, Labour and Social Development minister, Syda Bbumba launched the programme.
Kiboga district is among the 14 districts where SAGE programme is piloted and two sub-counties of Kibiga and Lwamata were selected to pilot the programme.
SAGE is a component of new programmes by government to uplift the social well being of elderly and vulnerable people and is supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), Irish Aid and UNICEF.
Bbumba said the programme is to empower vulnerable citizens to take charge of their own well being. She noted that the grants will enable the poorest and the most vulnerable in society to access government programmes, participate in and contribute to Uganda’s social and economic transformation.
Stephen Kasaija, who heads the programme at the gender ministry, said in the next five years the programme will give shillings 23,000 every month to over 600,000 people.
He said this will be under two types of grants namely the Senior Citizen Grants for people of 65 years and above and the vulnerable Families Support Grants for households with low labour capacity and high dependency.
Kasaija added that an agreement has been reached between government and MTN telecommunication company to manage monthly cash transfers to the beneficiaries in the 14 pilot districts through Mobile Money.
He elaborated that this amount is to be revised to cater for inflation in order to keep the value of the amount.
Kasaija warned that if the programme fails to work in the piloting five years, it may be abandoned cautioning stakeholders against misusing it.
Tereza Nayonga, aged 78 and battling against cancer and brain related complications, said the money will help her to buy scholastic materials for her grandchild who is in primary five at Kibiga primary school.
Israel Yiga, the District LCV chairperson asked government to increase funding to Social programmes to enable people including the vulnerable and the poor to enjoy better social services especially in health and education.
