Pader Leaders Demand for Bank to Implement Grant for the Old

Pader district leaders have demanded that Post Bank opens a branch in the district to facilitate implementation of the senior citizens grant program that is slated to begin in the district next year.

Pader district is among those included to benefit from the second phase of the Senior Citizens Grant (SAGE). Under the programme, older persons above the age of 60 receive a grant of 25,000 shillings per month.

Pius Ongom Okello, the operations manager SAGE program had earlier told the Pader leaders  on Monday that the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development would use post bank to pay beneficiaries in Pader and other districts.

This led to calls by the leaders for Post Bank to open a branch in Pader.  The district’s Chief Administrative Officer, Andrew Leru said the post bank branch to Pader district is located 60kms away in Kitgum. Leru said the long distance will be too costly for the older persons.

Pader district LCV chairman, Alfred Akena defended the demand [opening a post bank branch] saying the 1,200 persons from Pader expected to benefit from the SAGE programme is enough to entice post bank to open a branch in Pader district.

Under the SAGE pilot project which covered 15 districts, beneficiaries were paid using MTN mobile money.

Pader district has four banks including Stanbic, DFCU bank and newly opened Pride Micro-Finance bank.

The senior citizens grant is expected to begin in February 2016.  It will begin with an identification and verification process that will choose at least 100 older persons from each Sub County. Pader has 12 sub counties meaning 1,200 older persons from the district will potentially be selected. The selected beneficiaries will be expected to open bank accounts.

Local leaders in Pader welcomed the inclusion of the district on the SAGE programme saying it will improve the livelihoods of older persons in the district.

The SAGE program first began in June 2010 under the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. The first phase, a pilot project took five years. Pader, Agago, Kitgum, Lamwo and Gulu districts in Acholi Sub region will benefit in the second phase of the program.