ELDERLY PAYMENTS CHANGING LIVES AS BENEFICIARIES CALL FOR MORE
The social expansion program that sees the Elderly receive monthly payments of UGX.25,000 shillings per month has seen many lives transformed as some of the beneficiaries from Kyankwanzi district have shown, The genders ministry and the parliamentary forum on social protection are some of the tremendous developments attained following the introduction of the program.
Speaking to some of the beneficiaries who had also gathered to collect their monthly payment at Butemba parish revealed that they have managed to use the money to build better and permanent houses, pay school fees, and medical bills among other basic necessities for life but now ask govt to consider increasing the payments to at least UGX.100,000 to fully make a drastic change in their livelihoods.
However, the chairperson, of the parliamentary forum on social protection, Hon. Jacob Opolot says there is still more to lobby for from the govt to see that more older persons are included on the beneficiary list as well as increase the monthly payments.
The program director, Stephen Kasaija reveals that since the start of the program they have used UGX.160 billion on 150,000 beneficiaries in 47 districts since 2011.
