KAMPALA | When Uganda first introduced a modest cash transfer for older persons fifteen years ago, few imagined how profoundly it would alter life in some of the poorest communities. What began as a small pilot in just fifteen districts has now grown into one of the country’s most influential social protection programmes and the government says the best is still ahead.

This week, Uganda’s Minister of State for Elderly Affairs, Hon. Gidudu Mafwabi Dominic, announced a sweeping expansion of the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE), lowering the eligibility age from 80 to 65 beginning in the 2026/27 financial year. The decision marks the most significant shift in Uganda’s social protection landscape since SAGE’s creation in 2010, and signals a broader commitment to securing the dignity, health and economic stability of older citizens.

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment. Uganda’s population is aging, poverty remains widespread among households headed by older persons, and shocks from pandemics to climate pressures continue to undermine the resilience of vulnerable communities. In this context, SAGE has emerged not merely as a welfare programme, but as a stabilizing force reshaping the social and economic fabric of rural Uganda.

A Modest Beginning, A Major Transformation

SAGE’s origins lie in a small, experimental pilot funded by development partners including UKAid, Irish Aid and UNICEF. Between 2010 and 2015, the programme tested whether a predictable monthly stipend could improve the lives of older persons while building systems needed for a national social protection framework.

The results were striking. Older persons used the funds to improve their nutrition, buy medicine, access transportation to clinics, invest in small businesses, pay school fees for grandchildren, and contribute to community savings groups. Village economies began to shift: small shops recorded more customers, families started raising livestock, and local leaders reported greater cohesion as older persons regained influence in community affairs.

By 2019, the success was impossible to ignore. The programme had reached 61 districts and supported more than 200,000 beneficiaries. In 2020, President Yoweri Museveni presided over the official national rollout in Mbale, a moment that marked SAGE’s transformation from a small experiment to a national commitment.

Today, more than 306,000 senior citizens receive the monthly grant of 25,000 shillings, delivered quarterly. For many, it remains the only reliable income they receive.

A Lifeline in Difficult Times

The national rollout coincided with the outbreak of COVID-19, a period when millions of Ugandans faced unprecedented economic uncertainty. For senior citizens, especially those living alone or caring for young relatives, SAGE became a lifeline. With transport blocked, markets closed and families under strain, many older persons survived because of the regular stipend.

Officials say the programme’s stabilizing effect during the pandemic strengthened the argument for further expansion. At the same time, growing demand from citizens underscored the urgency of lowering the eligibility age, which had long been understood as a temporary necessity rather than a long-term standard.

Beyond SAGE: New Interventions for an Aging Population

While SAGE remains the flagship programme, the government has introduced complementary initiatives to widen support. The Special Enterprise Grant for Older Persons (SEGOP), launched in 2022/23, offers financial assistance and entrepreneurial training to older citizens aged 60 to 79. The initiative has already reached more than 13,000 beneficiaries across the country, helping older persons start small enterprises, cultivate crops, or invest in group-based ventures that promote collective resilience.

Uganda has also extended assistance to elderly refugees, replicating the SAGE model in settlements such as Bidibidi, Lobule and Rhino Camp. Officials say these efforts reflect Uganda’s global reputation as one of the world’s most progressive refugee-hosting nations.

Older persons have likewise been integrated into the Parish Development Model, which allocates funding to support local enterprise. Government records show that older persons now constitute a share of PDM’s beneficiaries, reflecting a policy shift that places them at the center of economic participation rather than at its margins.

A New Chapter for Social Protection

The government’s latest decision, lowering the SAGE eligibility age to 65 is expected to expand the programme to more than one million beneficiaries. To make this possible, the Ministry of Gender estimates that government will increase the SAGE budget to 373.36 billion shillings in FY 2026/27. Additionally, long-standing arrears under the programme, as well as funding gaps under SEGOP, will be cleared in the current financial year.

Officials describe this expansion not as an act of charity, but as an investment in Uganda’s human and economic development. Older persons, they argue, are the backbone of community leadership, cultural preservation and family stability roles that multiply when they are financially secure and socially protected.

But the government has also issued a clear reminder: access to these programmes requires a national ID. Without proper identification, older persons may be excluded from the very services designed to support them. The Ministry has therefore urged all senior citizens to register for National Identification Numbers and maintain bank accounts through which grants are delivered.

A Vision Rooted in Dignity and Security

Uganda’s social protection journey now stands at a defining moment. What began with a pilot in a handful of districts has grown into a national movement that touches lives in every region. SAGE has reduced the indignity of old-age poverty, strengthened intergenerational bonds, fueled local enterprises and offered a measure of stability even in the most difficult years.

As the government prepares for the next phase, officials say the priority is not simply expanding coverage, but ensuring sustainability and deepening impact. Efforts to extend social security to informal workers, promote saving schemes, and strengthen community safety are already underway.

For Hon. Gidudu Mafwabi Dominic, the message is as much about responsibility as it is about compassion. He has urged older persons to continue contributing to safe, peaceful families and communities, arguing that dignity in old age is inseparable from harmony at the household level.

In the wider national context, the expansion of SAGE aligns with Uganda’s long-term development agenda, including Vision 2040 and the forthcoming NDP IV, both of which identify social protection as a cornerstone of inclusive growth. Through strengthened support systems, Uganda is pushing toward a future in which older persons are not left behind, but positioned as active, empowered contributors to national progress.

The journey of SAGE from a small, uncertain experiment to a nationwide transformation tells a larger story about Uganda’s evolving social contract. It is a story of resilience, dignity and justice. And, as the next phase unfolds, it is a story still being written.