Post Bank starts disbursement of grants to senior citizens

Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | Post Bank Uganda has kicked off the disbursement of government grants to senior citizens aged 80 years and above following the roll out of Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) in Teso-sub region, it said on June 30.

Peace Mutuuzo, the State Minister for Gender and Culture unveiled the SAGE program in Teso-sub region at Mukura sub county, Ngora district. Ngora, Bukedea, Soroti and Serere are among the new districts within Teso to be added to the program.

Using Post Bank Uganda as a payment service provider, its mobile vans started the disbursement of funds to elders on a bi-monthly basis. The vans will work as service points and reach the last mile in hard to reach areas where connectivity is a challenge.

Albert Barekye, the general manager for operations at Post Bank Uganda said: “We pledge our continued support to the program.

Through the bank on wheel, we are able to reach the elderly persons at the parish level.”

He noted that Post Bank has been serving the senior citizens since 2016 and the addition of the districts in Teso-sub region takes it 85 districts benefiting over 230,000 senior citizens countrywide.

Mutuuzo applauded Post Bank for the unwavering collaboration with the Ministry to better the lives of the elderly through payments reaching up to parish level. She added that the Ministry was set to roll out the SAGE program to over 135 districts but due to COVID-19, the exercise was halted. The programme has now resumed with approvals on the Standard Operating Procedures that will not support the spread of COVID-19.

She said that the programme is here to stay.

SAGE started in 2016 as an initiative to reduce poverty amongst the elderly who have a low productivity and can barely go to work.