Uganda Pressures Government to Boost Senior Grants and Transform Geriatric Care

Lawmakers in Uganda have overwhelmingly backed a parliamentary push to overhaul healthcare for seniors and ramp up financial relief for the country’s aging demographic. During a session on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, parliamentarians demanded that the executive branch follow through on long-awaited promises to elevate the Senior Citizens Grant for the Elderly (SAGE) from Shs25,000 to Shs35,000 per month.

Tabled by Sironko District Woman Representative Hon. Asha Mafabi, the motion highlights the severe systemic pressures facing Uganda’s older population, who grapple with acute healthcare barriers, extreme poverty, and logistical hurdles in collecting their modest stipends. The debate laid bare a glaring disconnect between policy announcements and budgetary execution: Minister of State for Elderly Affairs Hon. Jacqueline Mbabazi conceded that the promised Shs35,000 monthly allotment was omitted from the 2026/27 national budget.

Despite the fiscal shortfall, Mbabazi acknowledged the urgency of securing the funds, emphasizing that senior citizens serve as the bedrock of family survival across the nation. “The people above 60 are looking after families with a population of 7.2 million people and they are the only ones looking after these people. And therefore, it is important to get that Shs35,000,” she told the House.

Official estimates indicate that Uganda is home to more than 1.4 million citizens aged 60 and older. Many of these individuals carry a heavy burden of age-related and non-communicable illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and dementia. To address these vulnerabilities, Mafabi urged the establishment of dedicated geriatric hospital units, specialized medical personnel, age-friendly facilities, and expanded home-based healthcare networks, particularly in rural and underserved regions.

Lawmakers also targeted inefficiencies within the SAGE disbursement framework. Kole South MP Hon. Boniface Okot pointed out that elderly beneficiaries frequently endure exhausting journeys to access payment locations, advocating instead for digital alternatives like mobile money. Okot also criticized the programme’s administrative overhead, noting that roughly Shs30 billion of the nearly Shs120 billion SAGE budget goes toward operational costs rather than direct aid.

Furthermore, the debates underscored a critical shortage of specialized medical training. Mbabazi revealed that the country possesses a mere three geriatric nurses and lacks any formalized local academic programs for geriatric medicine. In response, Chief Government Whip Hon. Jane Ruth Aceng noted that senior care initiatives have been integrated into the National Development Plan IV, which outlines frameworks for training specialized physicians and nurses. However, Aceng cautioned against setting up an exclusive health insurance scheme for seniors, arguing that universal coverage grounded in social solidarity offers a more sustainable safety net.

Financial sustainability remains a central hurdle for expanding the welfare system. Rukiga County MP Hon. Patrick Kiconco calculated that lowering the eligibility age to 65—a threshold previously floated by the government—would expand the beneficiary rolls to roughly one million people. Factoring in the proposed hike to Shs35,000, Kiconco warned that the total annual financial requirement would skyrocket from current levels to Shs373 billion, necessitating a phased implementation approach.

As debates continue, advocates like Older Persons Representative Hon. Catherine Mavenjina Akumu have pressed for interim healthcare coverage, while Ntenjeru County South MP Hon. Fred Baseke framed the entire initiative as an essential moral duty. “Investing in older persons is not a burden on government. It is an investment in dignity, welfare and social stability,” Baseke asserted.