The Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), a civil society organisation, has demanded that the government increase the Social Assistance Grant for the Elderly (SAGE) budget so that individual older people can receive a salary that is appropriate to their costs of living.
According to ISER, the payout ought to be raised from UGX 25,000 to UGX 40,000.
Allana Kembabazi, the Programmes Manager at ISER, said this on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at the Golden Trip Hotel in Kampala City, following the release of a report regarding the SAGE program.
In his speech, Dr. Juma Nyende from ISER pointed out that despite the rising costs of living, the amount of money provided to the elderly has not changed over the past ten years.
However, Bernard Mujuni, a Commissioner in the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, clarified that the ministry is drafting a social assistance grant policy that will guide the government and private sector on the course of action, where all the concerns raised will easily be addressed.
According to the State Minister in charge of Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara, the government is working hard to improve the welfare of all its citizens.
He also officially launched the Research Report on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security.
According to government reports, the rate of poverty among the elderly has decreased by 20% annually since the SAGE program began in 2013.
