Elderly persons in Kitagwenda District are urging the government to increase funding for the Special Enterprise Grant for Older Persons (SEGOP) to enable more beneficiaries to access support.
While the initiative has improved livelihoods for those who received grants, district elders say the available funds are insufficient to meet growing demand among the elderly population.
Nicholus Rugumayo, Kitagwenda District Chairperson for Older Persons, noted that although SEGOP has had a positive impact, inadequate funding limits its reach.
“The program has since had a positive impact on the beneficiaries, but the money is still very little when you compare the available demand and the funds received. There’s a need for the government to increase the allocation,” Rugumayo said.
Since the 2019/2020 financial year, the district has received Shs 45 million, shared among only nine groups across 13 sub-counties and town councils. Rugumayo explained that many older persons who registered for the grant were left out due to limited funds.
The SEGOP program, launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), provides cash enterprise grants to older persons to establish income-generating projects in groups of five to ten individuals.
The initiative was announced by President Museveni at the International Day of Older Persons, with an initial allocation of Shs10 billion.
The government earmarked a total budget of Shs50 billion for SEGOP over five years (FY2022/2023–FY2027/2028), targeting older persons aged 60 to 79 who are not covered by the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) or pension schemes.
In addition, the government plans to increase the monthly SAGE cash benefit from Shs25,000 to Shs35,000 and reduce the eligibility age from 80 to 65 years, reflecting efforts to enhance the welfare and dignity of senior citizens.
“These reforms demonstrate the government’s commitment to empowering older persons and enabling them to contribute meaningfully to their communities,” Rugumayo added.
