Amuru older persons urge newly elected leaders on SAGE funds

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Older persons in Amuru district have appealed to newly elected leaders at various levels to advocate for the timely disbursement of Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) funds to beneficiaries.

They have also urged the leaders to improve information dissemination about the programme.

The SAGE programme is a government social protection initiative providing cash transfers to vulnerable groups, primarily the elderly, to support their basic needs such as health and food.

Last November, the government announced that the SAGE eligibility age would be lowered from 80 to 65 years, effective the 2026-2027 financial year.

In Amuru, elderly resident David Obita from Keyo village in Lamogi sub-county said he has not yet been enrolled in the programme, which he attributed to inadequate information. 

Another resident, Felix Nyeko of Pakiri village in Palema parish, expressed frustration over what he called the bureaucratic processes involved in registering would-be beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Amuru district community development officer, John Bosco Olum, revealed that only 1,024 older persons out of the district’s 247,574 elderly population have so far been enrolled into the SAGE system.

He added that each beneficiary receives sh75,000 every three months.

Olum acknowledged the challenge of inadequate information about the programme among the public, noting that measures would be taken to address the gap.

Amuru district chairman-elect Christopher Odongkara pledged to ensure improved quality service delivery in the district over the next five years.