AN 81 YEAR OLD COLLAPSES AND DIES IN THE QUEUE TO RECEIVE ELDERLY FUNDS

Shock gripped elderly persons in Bulera Sub County in Mityana District after one of them collapsed and died as she lined up to receive her Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) stipend.
The incident occurred at Bulera Sub County headquarters in Mityana District yesterday morning.
The deceased, Aliveera Nyiragasigwa, 81, was a resident of Bunnya Village, Mityana District.
Jonitah Nakyanzi, one of the eyewitnesses, recounted that Nyiragasigwa arrived around 9am with her daughter, hoping to collect payments for January, February, and March 2024.
Nakyanzi added that as time passed, she told a friend she wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest and sadly, she passed away shortly before 11am.
Nakyanzi highlighted the difficulties elderly persons face while collecting their SAGE disbursements noting that many trek long distances and even upon arrival, programme staff come late, forcing them to wait for extended periods in queues.
Sarah Ssentamu, a councilor representing the district’s elderly population, acknowledged receiving numerous complaints and pledged to address them.
This isn’t an isolated incident as on April 3, 2019, 89-year-old Mark Semakuba of Kisoro District collapsed and died while waiting for his SAGE money.
A similar tragedy occurred in Amuria District that same month, where senior citizen Mzee Enoriko Olinga died during the SAGE enrollment.