'It's too little': Hoima elderly ask govt to double SAGE allowance
“Yes, I receive this money, and I use it to buy sugar, soap and salt, but the money is little,” he noted that he is weak and he can no longer engage in farming, adding that the money is barely enough to help him to buy food and called on the President to increase their allowance.
State minister for the elderly, Jaqueline Mbabazi (3rd L) with Hoima City leaders for elderly persons. (Credit: Peter Abaanabasazi)
HOIMA - Older persons in Hoima district and Hoima city have called on the government to increase their Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) allowance from sh25,000 to at least sh50,000 per month.
SAGE currently benefits older persons aged 80 years and above. In Hoima district, 4,299 older persons received more than sh383m under the programme in the 2025/26 financial year.
However, beneficiaries said the money is inadequate given their responsibilities and the health challenges they face.
The older persons made the call during an interaction with the State Minister for the Elderly, Jaqueline Mbabazi, who visited local governments last week to assess the progress of the Special Enterprise Grant for Older Persons (SEGOP) and establish whether older persons were benefiting from SAGE.
Yoronimu Magambo, an 80-year-old man from Haibare 2 in Kusukuma subcounty, Hoima district, said he receives sh75,000 every three months. He said the money was insufficient and called on President Yoweri Museveni to increase the allowance from sh25,000 to sh50,000.
Bernard Barugahara, a 94-year-old resident of Kihemba cell in Hoima City East Division, said older persons face several challenges, including health problems that require substantial amounts of money for treatment.
State minister for the elderly, Jaqueline Mbabazi (2nd L), receives a gift from the elderly person's leaders of Hoima City. (Credit: Peter Abaanabasazi)
He said medication for his conditions was often expensive, while some of the drugs he needed were not readily available at public health facilities.
Barugahara said the sh75,000 he receives every three months was insufficient to cater for his medication and other essential needs. He commended the President for supporting him through SAGE and appealed for an increase in the allowance.
Christopher Byenkya, an 85-year-old resident of Haibare in Kisukuma subcounty, Hoima district, said he receives the allowance but finds it insufficient for his needs.
“Yes, I receive this money, and I use it to buy sugar, soap and salt, but the money is little,” he noted that he is weak and he can no longer engage in farming, adding that the money is barely enough to help him to buy food and called on the President to increase their allowance.
Dr Lawrence Bategeka, the former Hoima Municipality Member of Parliament and current chairperson of the Elderly Council in Hoima city, said many older persons, particularly in rural areas, had not been registered to benefit from SAGE.
Dr Bategeka said some people above the current qualifying age of 80 remained unable to access Government support because they had not been registered.
He called on local leaders in Hoima city to work closely with the Elderly Council to identify and register older persons who may be missing out on Government programmes.
In her response, minister Mbabazi said the SAGE allowance would soon be increased
She added that Cabinet approved a proposal last financial year to increase the monthly SAGE allowance from sh25,000 to sh35,000. She noted that although the money was not allocated in the budget, she hoped it would be provided for in subsequent budgets.
She added that Cabinet had also approved a proposal to lower the SAGE eligibility age from 80 years to 65 years, saying the initiatives were aimed at improving the health and incomes of older persons.