In 2024, RAISE launched a new project with our Ugandan partner, the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), to strengthen the Senior Citizens’ Grant (SAGE) – a social assistance programme providing monthly income support to Ugandans over 80.
While SAGE is an important milestone in Uganda’s path towards social protection, it’s also a reminder of how complex policy development and implementation can be. Originally donor-funded, SAGE is now fully financed by the Ugandan state – and in September 2025, we received encouraging news:
> The Ugandan government announced plans to lower the eligibility age from 80 to 65 and increase monthly payments from UGX 25,000 to UGX 35,000 (approx. USD 9.80) over the next 15 years. <
This is a welcome step in the right direction – and the result of years of hard advocacy work by ISER and other national actors.
A Long Road to Social Protection
The Senior Citizens’ Grant has its roots in Uganda’s Expanding Social Protection Programme, launched in 2010. At the time, two cash transfer schemes were piloted: the Senior Citizens’ Grant (SCG) and the Vulnerable Family Grant (VFG). Only the SCG proved politically and practically viable and gradually gained support, especially after it was recognised by the President as a tool for social visibility and inclusion.
The SCG began in just three districts and expanded over time. But when national rollout was approved in 2018, budget limitations forced the government to raise the eligibility age to 80 years. This decision, while allowing for national coverage, also excluded the majority of Uganda’s older population – and drastically reduced the programme’s impact.
Although the programme is now institutionalised, key challenges remain:
- Funding remains insufficient. In the 2024/25 national budget, funding stayed unchanged despite the growing number of older persons.
- The benefit level is far too low to meet basic needs – and is often seen as charity, not a right. Even the proposed increase to UGX 35,000 (approx. USD 9.80) barely covers subsistence expenses.
- National ID requirements exclude many older persons who were never registered.
- Access to benefits is physically difficult due to distance, disability, and poor infrastructure.
- Information gaps mean many eligible recipients are unaware of their entitlements.
- Lack of a binding legal framework results in inconsistent implementation, including the contradiction between the current eligibility age and the original policy goals.
Looking Ahead: Towards Universal Social Protection
At RAISE, we believe that access to a basic pension should be a universal right – not a privilege. That’s why we’re continuing to support ISER’s work to build public and political momentum for stronger, fairer income support systems in Uganda.
Through advocacy, research and collaboration with civil society and decision-makers, we hope to see Uganda take further steps toward a comprehensive welfare system, including pensions, child benefits and disability support – essential foundations for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty.
