Rukiga County Member of Parliament Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi has urged government to expedite implementation of the proposal, saying elderly Ugandans should start benefiting from the expanded programme.
Kiconco made the call during the launch of the Rukiga District Community Skilling Programme, known as “Emikono Yeitu”, at Kyeerero Playground in Bukinda Sub-county. State Minister for Gender and Culture Mary Kuteesa Kamuli was the chief guest.
Under the current SAGE programme, Ugandans aged 80 and above receive a monthly stipend of Shs25,000. The government’s FY2026/27 budget says SAGE has cumulatively reached 489,673 beneficiaries, with Shs836.1 billion disbursed since the programme began.
Kiconco said Cabinet had resolved to lower the eligibility age from 80 to 65 but expressed concern that the proposed expansion had not been reflected in funding for the 2026/27 financial year. The MP, who said he was involved in the early development of SAGE while working as an economist at Parliament, urged the minister to push for implementation of the decision.
“Therefore, I am requesting you, Hon. Minister, to remind those concerned, especially in Cabinet, that it is high time the government began supporting our elderly citizens aged 65 and above, as was resolved last year,” he said.
Minister Kuteesa acknowledged that Cabinet had approved the proposal and said President Yoweri Museveni had also approved the idea. However, she said government was undertaking a feasibility assessment before expanding the programme. Kuteesa said the rising number of older people meant that immediately lowering the eligibility age to 65 could place additional pressure on the resources available for SAGE. “You know, Ugandans are no longer dying as early. Many are now living to 68-70 years,” she said. She said government was considering a phased approach to lowering the eligibility age rather than immediately moving from 80 to 65 years.
The debate comes as the government continues to identify social protection for older persons as one of its programmes for supporting vulnerable groups. The FY2026/27 Budget Speech lists SAGE among the government’s social protection interventions and reports that the programme had reached 489,673 beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the Emikono Yeitu Community Skilling Programme is scheduled to begin in October. The programme is being funded by Rukiga District Woman MP Dr Sylvia Arinaitwe with support from her development partners. Arinaitwe said 42 training centres would be established across the district to provide free training in skills including bakery, liquid soap making, shoemaking, crafts and weaving.
She said the programme was intended partly to address the absence of a district technical institution and increase opportunities for residents to enter the money economy through self-employment.
Rukiga District LC5 Chairperson Simon Mutebi Rwamagyenda urged men and young people to take advantage of the programme, saying practical skills could provide an alternative source of livelihood at a time when formal employment opportunities remain limited.
Minister Kuteesa commended Arinaitwe for supplementing government efforts to provide skills training, particularly for young people. She said government was operating regional skilling hubs under the Office of the President but acknowledged that the facilities were not sufficient to meet the demand for training opportunities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
