Direct Income Support under the Expanding Social Protection Programme, ESP
Basic Information
Country
Geographic area
Population group
Children, Elderly persons, Persons with disabilities
Programme Details
Programme objectives
To reduce chronic poverty and improve life conditions of Uganda’s poorest population.
Alado, T. 2014. “Monitoring Mechanisms of the Social Safety Net Programmes in Uganda.” Presentation at the
3rd Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group, Ankara, Turkey, 10 April. Accessed 11 November
2015. <http://www2.comcec.org/UserFiles/File/WorkingGroups/Poverty3/Presentations/4-4-Uganda.pdf>.
Programme components
Direct Income Support is part of the larger Expanding Social Protection
Programme (ESP), comprising two grants: Senior Citizens Grants and
Vulnerable Family Grants (VFG). The Government has decided to phase
out the VFG and to roll out the Senior Citizens Grant to an additional
40 districts starting in 2016.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda. 2014. “What we do.” Government of
Uganda website. Accessed 11 November 2015. <http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/what%20we%20do.php>.
Start date
2010
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda. 2014. “What we do.” Government of
Uganda website. Accessed 11 November 2015. <http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/what%20we%20do.php>.
Coverage
123,153 beneficiaries (September 2015)
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. 2015. ESP News - A Newsletter of the Expanding
Social Protection Programme, September 2015’. Kampala: Government of Uganda. Accessed 18 February 2016.
<http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/pdf/Newsletters/ESPNewsletterSEPTEMBER2015.pdf>.
Programme expenditure
UGX32 billion (2014)
The Government of Uganda has committed UGX149 billion
(about USDD42 million) to SAGE for the next five years.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda. 2014. “What we do.” Government of
Uganda website. Accessed 11 November 2015. <http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/what%20we%20do.php>.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. 2015. ESP News - A Newsletter of the Expanding
Social Protection Programme, September 2015’. Kampala: Government of Uganda. Accessed 18 February 2016.
<http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/pdf/Newsletters/ESPNewsletterSEPTEMBER2015.pdf>.
Targeting and eligiblity
Targeting methods
Proxy Means Test
Categorical Targeting
Geographical Targeting
Geographical and categorical targeting (for Senior Citizens Grants) and proxy means-testing (for VFG). Reference:
Arfa, C., and H. Elgazzar. 2013. “Consolidation and Transparency: Transforming Tunisia’s Health Care for
the Poor.” Universal Health Coverage Studies Series (UNICO) - UNICO Studies Series, No. 4. Washington,
DC: World Bank. Accessed 11 November 2015. <https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/
handle/10986/13312/74997.pdf?sequence=1>.
Targeted areas
Currently 15 districts: Apac, Kaberamaido, Katakwi, Kiboga, Kyenjojo,
Moroto, Nakapiripirit, Nebbi, Amudat, Kyegegwa, Kyankwanzi, Zombo,
Napak, Kole and Yumbe.
The government has begun a five-year roll-out of the Senior Citizens
Grant to an additional 40 districts starting with 20 districts in 2016 and
an additional five districts for the next four years.
Namuddu, J. et al. 2014. “Evidence on Graduation in Uganda’s Social Assistance Grants for
Empowerment (SAGE) Scheme and the Feasibility of Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods for Labour
Constrained Households through a Linkages Approach.” Presentation at the International Conference:
‘Graduation and Social Protection’, Kigali, Rwanda, 6–8 May. Accessed 11 November 2015.
<https://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/Graduationconferencepaper-Namudduetal.pdf>.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. 2015. ESP News - A Newsletter of the Expanding
Social Protection Programme, September 2015’. Kampala: Government of Uganda. Accessed 18 February 2016.
<http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/pdf/Newsletters/ESPNewsletterSEPTEMBER2015.pdf>.
Target groups
Elderly people; people with disabilities; children; and households
with a high dependency ratio.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda. 2014. “What we do.” Government of
Uganda website. Accessed 11 November 2015. <http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/what%20we%20do.php>.
Eligibility criteria
Criteria for eligibility:
• 65 years old and above;
• 60 years old and above for the Karamoja region;
• vulnerable households with a high dependency ratio.
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda. 2014. “What we do.” Government of
Uganda website. Accessed 11 November 2015. <http://www.socialprotection.go.ug/what%20we%20do.php>.
Coverage and other information
Type of benefits
Cash
Amount of benefits
UGX25,000 (approximately USD8) per month
Alado, T. 2014. “Monitoring Mechanisms of the Social Safety Net Programmes in Uganda.” Presentation at the
3rd Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group, Ankara, Turkey, 10 April. Accessed 11 November
2015. <http://www2.comcec.org/UserFiles/File/WorkingGroups/Poverty3/Presentations/4-4-Uganda.pdf>.
Payment/delivery frequency
Bi-monthly
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and frequency
The monitoring system consists of:
• periodic field reports (monthly/quarterly);
• performance reports;
• pay point monitoring reports;
• pay point exit surveys;
• ‘storytelling’/case studies;
• transaction data analysis; and
• beneficiary transaction audits.
Alado, T. 2014. “Monitoring Mechanisms of the Social Safety Net Programmes in Uganda.” Presentation at the
3rd Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group, Ankara, Turkey, 10 April. Accessed 11 November
2015. <http://www2.comcec.org/UserFiles/File/WorkingGroups/Poverty3/Presentations/4-4-Uganda.pdf>.
