Children urged to care for ageing parents: Muhiirwa, Ntagali call for respect, compassion

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KIKUUBE

Fort Portal Catholic bishop Robert Muhiirwa and Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Stanley Ntagali say young people have a moral duty to care for their ageing parents, citing a growing societal neglect of the elderly.

Ntagali has condemned youth who abandon elderly parents, citing Psalm 90:10: The days of our years are seventy, or even eighty… yet they are full of trouble. He has also described heart-wrenching scenes of elderly Ugandans left destitute: “Many over 70 live in squalor, unable to afford food, medicine, or shelter. Their children vanish, leaving them to suffer.”

According to the 2024 Uganda Population and Housing Census, individuals aged 60 and above represent 5% of the population, totalling 2.4 million people. In Bunyoro alone, over 74,000 residents are 65 or older, many facing financial and social struggles.

Bishop Muhiirwa has expressed alarm over what he is calling the increasing disregard for elderly family members.

“Parents sacrifice everything to raise responsible children, yet few receive care in their twilight years,” he says.

He has highlighted the Pope’s 2023 appeal for Christians to honour elders, noting their “experiential wisdom” and the physical vulnerabilities they face.

“Elderly parents need special care, medical support, shelter, and dignity, but too often, they’re left alone in dilapidated homes, hungry, and isolated,” he adds.

This was during a thanksgiving mass for Beatrice Kiiza Amooti, an 80-year-old widow celebrated for raising her children as a single mother on August 6, 2025.

Beatrice Kiiza Amooti (Third right) with sisters, children and grandchildren cutting a cake. (Photo by Peter Abaanabasazi)

The event honoured widow Kiiza Amooti, a resident of Kikuube district, who raised three children, two of whom became nuns in the Fort Portal Diocese, and now receives care from her offspring.

“God blessed me with children who never abandoned me,” Kiiza said.

Bishop Muhiirwa praised her family’s example: “Her children’s loyalty is a lesson for all. Supporting elderly parents isn’t optional—it’s a duty.”

Hoima district National Resistance Movement party chairperson Vicente Savan Muhunuza urged the Government to lower the eligibility age for the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) from 80 to 70.

“Few Ugandans survive to 80, but many over 70 are equally vulnerable. We must act before it’s too late,” he said.

Muhiirwa also called for community unity in Bunyoro, urging forgiveness and reconciliation. “Just as Kiiza’s faith sustained her, we must emulate Jesus’ teachings to live in peace.”

With Uganda’s elderly population growing, intergenerational support is critical.