The government has increased the national special grant for people with disabilities (PWDs) from sh9.6b to 16.6b, state minister for disability affairs Grace Hellen Asamo said Tuesday.

She said the grant will cater for the 31 local governments that had not benefitted from the previous fund.

A total of 2,656 PWD groups will benefit from the programme, thereby reaching over 16,000 households countrywide.

“I am pleased to report that the budget for the programme was enhanced in the FY2022/23 and it will benefit PWDs,” said Asamo at a press briefing about the International Day for PWDs, scheduled for December 3.

The minister thanked President Yoweri Museveni for allowing the grant to be increased and the Members of Parliament for considering the increment.

To enhance transparency under the national special grant for PWDs, the minister said a list of disbursements for the grant for each local government since FY 2019/20 was dispatched to all members of Parliament, to facilitate monitoring and oversight.  

“Previously, we were acting on a first come first serve basis. However, starting this financial year, every local government has been allocated an indicative planning figure to ensure equity in allocation of grants,” she said.

Asamo also revealed that the PWDs were allocated 10% of the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds, which they can access through their PDM SACCOs.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS 2016), for the population aged two years and above, the disability prevalence rate was 12.4%, which translates to 6,466,798 million people. Of these, 49.26% are male and 50.74% are females.

The census estimated that the highest forms of disability were difficulty in seeing (6.5% of the population), difficulty in remembering (5.4%), difficulty in walking (4.5%) and difficulty in hearing (3.1%).

Why International Day

This year’s celebration will be held on Saturday (December 3) at Okole Primary School Grounds in Kole district under the theme “Leadership and mindset change: a tool for inclusive development”. 

The event will be graced by the Vice President, Jessica Alupo.

The minister noted that international day for PWDs is observed every year on December 3, since 1992 when it was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly.

Asamo said during the international day, the gender ministry undertakes in fulfilment of its constitutional mandate to recognise the rights of PWDs.

She added that they also acknowledge the capabilities of PWDs in contributing towards the development of the country besides creating awareness of the importance of promoting equality and full participation of PWDs in social life.

Yona Wasswa, the chairperson of the National Council for People with Disabilities, said the day is aimed at promoting their rights and well-being in the society.

Wasswa observed that Uganda has a legal and policy framework that favours PWDs, but it is not being implemented at the grassroot level by the courts of law, police, and public, among others.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cole Naboth, a member of the council, said they will use the day for creating awareness about the new policies put in place by government so that PWDs can benefit from them.

“We shall focus on education, infrastructure, employment, policy and law framework, challenges PWDs face and opportunities available,” he said.