Govt rejects use of mobile money to send elderly cash
Clients queue at mobile money shops in Kampala recently. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- Majority did not possess mobile phones and others failed to change the default numbers.
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has advised the elderly to back off a proposal to have their Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) money sent to them via mobile money.
SAGE beneficiaries who have clocked the age of 80, receive a monthly remuneration of Shs25,000 from the government.
But the elderly have severally complained of trekking long distances to access pay points given their advanced age. Those from the Tooro Sub-region, therefore, proposed in a recent meeting that the government starts sending the money via mobile money.
Speaking to the Monitor in a telephone interview yesterday, Mr Stephen Kasaija, the head of Social Protection Secretariat at the MGLSD, said during the programme’s initiation, the government attempted to send mobile money to the elderly but this failed due to technical issues.
“Majority did not possess mobile phones and others failed to change the default numbers issued to them to reset their pins and they ended up failing to access the money,” he said
Mr Kasaija added that those who managed to change the secret pin numbers failed to protect them and were accessed by non-beneficiaries.
“The ministry has tried to cater for the issue of distance by having three pay points in every sub-county and also resorting to a quarterly system. The elderly get money every three months, which comes to Shs75,000,”he said.
Speaking during an engagement with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) members on gender and equity issues in Tooro Sub-region on Friday, Mr Paul Mbabazi, the chairperson of Fort Portal Older Persons Council, said when they clock 80 years, they become vulnerable.
Mr Mbabazi added that using electronic transfer will ease the process and help them to save and boost their household incomes because there will be no transport expenses.
Mr Yusuf Muziransa, the EOC communications officer, said they would engage relevant government agencies to have the elderly persons’ matter sorted.
Background
The government with support from development partners is implementing the SAGE scheme in all the districts of Uganda with the aim of supporting older persons 80 years above with Shs25,000 monthly.
