Elderly excited after govt lowers SAGE age in new fund

Older persons are rejoicing after government lowered the age limit for Senior Assistant Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) money through creation of a new fund.

Persons aged 80 and above have been getting Sh25,000 per month but significant changes have seen the age lowered to 60 years through another similar  programme.

In Financial Year 2022/2023, government provided Shs5billion for the Special Enterprise grant for Older Persons (SEGOP) aged 60 to 79 years who are not beneficiaries of SAGE program. The new grant targets 1,896,190 people as “government mobilizes resources to lower the eligibility age for SAGE.”

Older persons access the SEGOP grant in groups of 5 to 10 people with each set given Shs5million which they can channel into ventures like farming, poultry and trading, unlike SAGE where beneficiaries are paid monthly.

According to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, this grant seeks “to empower older persons and enhance access to financial support for improved wellbeing.”

Under SEGOP, Shs32million was distributed to beneficiaries in eight groups from various sub counties in Mayuge District.

Malongo Older persons Dairy Farming and Beekeeping group chairperson Muhammed Kasakye said “SEGOP is timely.”

“We have not been getting money because the age limit was 80 years but under SEGOP, government has now reduced it to 60 years. We shall utilize it in acquiring more animals, feeds and bee hives for our sustainability,’’ he told Monitor on Saturday.

The 72-year-old man also said they had been missing government programs yet they also pay taxes.

“Previously government was not thinking about us yet we used to pay graduated tax. The only older persons who were benefiting from the government, are those who were receiving pension,’’ he said.

Ngunda Tukolere Walala Older persons’ group member Difansi Mukyama said: “We are going to invest the money in our poultry project so that we can be able to get some of the basic needs.’’

Moses Mugabe, another older person said, the money will help them alleviate poverty and improve their lives as vulnerable persons.

Speaking during the distribution exercise at Ikulwe Primary school in Mayuge Town Council, Ms Harriet Achen, the Community Development officer in Charge of Persons with Disability and Elderly, said they selected this group because it was left out.

“Government was not realizing the funds to cater for all the elderly, that is why they reduced it to 80 and there was that population that was left out 60 to 79 years. When they got the money and it wasn’t enough to pay all of them like in SAGE, they decided to introduce the SEGOP,’’ she explained.

Achen clarified that grant guidelines don’t allow SAGE beneficiaries to benefit from SEGOP.

Mayuge Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Elijah Madoi expressed optimism that the grant could push elderly into prosperity.

“We realized that some of these older persons are still economically active and can engage in income generating ventures but they are financially incapacitated so the grant will help them expand their projects like poultry and farming,’’ he said.

FYI

In February 2024, some parliamentarians wanted SEGOP scrapped. The lawmakers proposed combining its budget with SAGE.

According to the Ugandan law, older people are considered those aged above 60. Ugandans aged between 60-70 form majority of Uganda’s elderly.

The number of older persons in Uganda has increased from 840,000 in 1991 with official 2022 government population projections indicating that there were 1,661,100 (3.76 percent) persons aged 60 years and above in Uganda.

Experts say this senior population has always been left out in several development-oriented government programs such as Emyooga, Parish Development Model, Youth Livelihood Programme and Operation Wealth Creation.