Social protection advocates, representatives of persons with disabilities and lawmakers have urged the Ugandan government to increase funding for social protection programmes, warning that budget cuts could leave vulnerable groups without critical support.
The appeal came after the government allocated Shs173.6 billion to the social protection sub-sector in the 2026/27 financial year budget, a 57.1% decline from the Shs404.1 billion allocated in the outgoing fiscal year.
Patrick Kiconco Katabazi, the Rukiga County legislator speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Forum on Social Protection, said government investment in social protection should match efforts to expand infrastructure and other development programmes.
“The government should promote balanced development. As it develops infrastructure and education systems, it should also improve people’s standards of living because no one will utilise the developed structures if people remain vulnerable,” Katabazi told reporters on Thursday.
He criticised the allocation, noting that social protection accounts for only a small share of funding under the Human Capital Development programme despite growing economic shocks and vulnerabilities.
“It is unfair for social protection to account for only 1.3% of the Shs13.6 trillion allocated to the Human Capital Development programme when vulnerabilities remain widespread,” he said.
The budget allocates funds to several programmes, including Shs121 billion for the Senior Citizens Grant, Shs15.5 billion for the newly introduced Child Disability Benefit, Shs7.6 billion for the Social Development Grant and Shs24 million for support to street children.
Esther Kyozira, Chief Executive Officer of the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), welcomed the introduction of the Child Disability Benefit, describing it as a significant step towards supporting children with disabilities and their families.
“This recognises that children with disabilities face extra costs for care, transport and assistive devices. It means more children with disabilities can stay in school, access care and improve their chances of reaching their full potential,” Kyozira said.
However, she warned against stagnation in future funding.
“We want to see this allocation grow. Experience shows that once some social protection grants are introduced, they remain at the same level for many years. We are requesting government to ensure annual increments,” she said.
Finance Minister Henry Musasizi said the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) programme had so far benefited 489,673 people through funding amounting to Shs836.1 billion.
He also said 72,772 beneficiaries had received Shs48.5 billion under the National Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities across 171 local governments.
Under the 2026/27 budget, the Senior Citizens Grant is expected to support 305,000 Ugandans aged 80 years and above.
Advocates, however, expressed concern over the government’s failure to implement a Cabinet resolution passed in October 2025 that proposed lowering the eligibility age for the Senior Citizens Grant from 80 to 65 years and increasing the monthly benefit from Shs25,000 to Shs35,000.
Katabazi said implementing the reforms would require an additional Shs252 billion but argued that failure to provide the funding leaves many older Ugandans vulnerable.
“This non-funding leaves the majority of older persons aged 65 years and above without any form of pension cover and vulnerable to poverty,” he said.