For years, Sarah Nakato has watched government programmes come and go in her Kawempe neighbourhood. She knows about the Parish Development Model. She has heard of the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment, or SAGE, for older persons. She knows government programmes targeting women and youth.
But until recently, Nakato, who lives with a disability, did not know that the government sends billions of shillings to local governments each year specifically to support persons with disabilities (PWDs). She learnt about the money through fellow PWDs, rather than through a government announcement. For her, the discovery raised a troubling question: if the money is meant for people like her, why do so few know about it?
“This is a cake for many local officials and PWD leaders,” Ms Nakato says. “They connive with a few people who keep benefiting or sharing with the officials. The grant is kept as a secret and not communicated to the wider PWD community.” Her complaint is not isolated. Lillian Namukasa, the programmes manager at the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, says the council has received similar complaints over the years.
“The complaint isn’t new,” Namukasa says. “We have received it over time, and it is now known that the grant is being abused.” The concerns are emerging as government continues to channel billions of shillings through the National Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities, a programme designed to help PWDs establish income-generating activities and participate in the economy.
The scheme started around 2009/10 as a special grant managed through local governments. It was expanded into the National Special Grant in the 2019/20 financial year under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Government allocations have since grown from about 2.1 billion shillings in the early years to between 15.9 billion shillings and 16.8 billion shillings in recent financial years. Cumulative disbursements have exceeded 38 billion shillings.
Yet for many of the people the money targets, the programme remains poorly understood. Under guidelines issued by the Ministry of Gender in 2022, PWDs are expected to form groups of at least five members and submit proposals for income-generating activities such as goat rearing, poultry, produce trading and crafts.
The proposals are submitted through the Community Development Officer and vetted by a district committee. Successful groups receive about 5 million shillings, which is supposed to be deposited directly into the group’s bank account. The programme operates on a quarterly, demand-driven basis. On paper, the arrangement should allow new groups to enter the programme as others benefit.
However, Namukasa says this is not always what happens. She notes that information about the grant often remains within the offices of Community Development Officers, some PWD leaders and people who have previously benefited. “Those who already know the process reapply repeatedly,” she says. “New groups struggle to navigate the paperwork, open bank accounts, or even learn that the window exists.”
She also raises concern over cases in which PWDs are listed as members of groups without their knowledge.“Some PWDs are signed up for groups they are not aware of,” she says. “Which is another form of corruption from the Community Development Office.”
Audit raises fresh concerns
The concerns about access and accountability are backed by findings from the Auditor General.A value-for-money audit covering the five financial years from 2019/20 to 2023/24, released in December 2025, found weaknesses in the management and monitoring of the grant. The audit found that 2.19 billion shillings had been released to 808 PWD groups without verification.
The auditors also found that verification reports for the third and fourth quarters of the 2023/24 financial year were unavailable, creating a risk that funds were released to non-existent groups. The audit further raised concerns about weak monitoring and the collapse of funded projects. Some groups reportedly shared the money among members instead of investing it in the activities approved under their proposals.
The findings raise questions about whether the programme is reaching new beneficiaries and whether funded enterprises are surviving after disbursement. Earlier studies and reports, including work by the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), have pointed to limited awareness of the grant, interference in beneficiary selection, inadequate business skills and weak follow-up by local governments.
For PWDs who do not access the grant, the consequences go beyond missing out on a one-off payment. The money is intended to help groups establish businesses and build sources of income. When groups fail to access the funds, projects that might have created income and shared assets never get off the ground. For those who receive the money but lack adequate support and monitoring, enterprises may also collapse, leaving beneficiaries without a sustainable source of income.
Namukasa says the grant needs a system that gives more PWDs a fair opportunity to benefit. “It shouldn’t be the same groups receiving the money,” she says. “This should be looked at to ensure that at least all people with disabilities benefit.” She proposes publishing lists of groups that have received funding, rotating beneficiaries, strengthening verification before disbursement and conducting meaningful monitoring after the money is released.
She also wants the government to take the publicity of the programme more seriously. “Many other programmes are heavily announced,” she says. “There is a need for aggressive public sensitisation through radio, local councils, disability organisations and parish structures, so that the grant stops being an open secret.” For a programme whose purpose is to widen economic opportunities for one of Uganda’s most marginalised groups, the challenge now is not only how much money government releases.
It is whether the people the money was intended for know the money exists, understand how to apply and receive a fair chance to benefit. Namukasa says limited staffing and resources at the council also constrain monitoring and oversight. She urges people with information about alleged misuse of the funds by officials or PWD leaders to report the cases to the council, police or the Inspectorate of Government-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
