81-year-old woman dies in queue for govt assistance cash

Shock gripped  elderly persons in Bulera Sub County in Mityana District after one of them collapsed and died as she lined up to receive her Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) stipend.

The incident occurred at Bulera Sub County headquarters in Mityana District on Wednesday morning.

The deceased, Aliveera Nyiragasigwa, 81, was a resident of Bunnya Village, Mityana District.

Ms Jonitah Nakyanzi, 74, one of the eyewitnesses, recounted that Nyiragasigwa arrived at the headquarters around 9am with her daughter, hoping to collect payments for January, February, and March 2024. 

"As time passed, she told a friend she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest. Sadly, she passed away shortly before 11am. It was a heartbreaking moment for all of us,” she said.

Ms Nakyanzi highlighted the difficulties elderly persons face while collecting their SAGE disbursements.

“Many trek long distances and even upon arrival, programme staff come late, forcing us to wait for extended periods in queues," she explained, advocating for a more convenient system, such as direct money transfers.

Ms Sarah Ssentamu, a councilor representing the district's elderly population, acknowledged receiving numerous complaints and pledged to address them.

"Nyiragasigwa's death is a wake-up call. We'll propose direct deposits to beneficiaries' accounts or those of their next of kin," she stated.

Nyiragasigwa ‘s body was collected from the sub county headquarters Wednesday afternoon and conveyed to her at Bunnya Village in Bulera Sub County where she is expected to be buried on Thursday. 

This isn't an isolated incident. On April 3, 2019, 89-year-old Mark Semakuba of Kisoro District collapsed and died while waiting for his SAGE money. A similar tragedy occurred in Amuria District that same month, where senior citizen Mzee Enoriko Olinga died during the SAGE enrollment process.

Launched in 2013, SAGE targets Ugandans over 65 years (later raised to 80 in some districts) and provides quarterly payments of Shs75,000, which many consider insufficient. Beneficiaries are pushing for an increase to Shs200,000 due to rising living costs.

The money is part of government‘s efforts to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable and improved senior citizens.

While the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development reports that Uganda's social protection programme covers only 6.5 percent of the population compared to the 39 percent living in poverty, a meager 0.7 percent of the country's GDP is allocated to social protection.