Following a competitive bidding process, the Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development Frank Tumwebaze has announced Centenary Bank as the new Payment Service Provider (PSP) for the Senior Citizens Grants under the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE). The PSP provides channels to deliver the last mile of cash grants to older persons.
Coming on the cusp of the national roll out of the Senior Citizens Grant to cover all districts around the country, Centenary Bank will take over the PSP role from PostBank Uganda, whose contract expires in March 2021. Between now and March, Centenary Bank and Post Bank will pay side by side, until PostBank contract expires. Before PostBank Uganda, the grants were paid using MTN Mobile Money.
James Ebitu, the acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development, said: “I congratulate Centenary Bank for coming out as the winner of this bid. The Ministry together with our development partners, UKaid/DFID and Irish Aid, selected Centenary Bank through an elaborate and rigorous competitive bidding procurement process in which various prospective service providers proposed different payment mechanisms.”
He said the evaluation team was particularly looking out for the feasibility and reliability of the proposed payment methods, distance beneficiaries would have to travel to receive their payments and value for money.
Centenary Bank will pay older persons through their bank agents spread across the country and through their bank branches. This means that the distance older persons have to travel to access the grants will drastically reduce.
Centenary Bank Managing Director Fabian Kasi Said, “We are glad to be named the new Payment Service Provider (PSP) for the Senior Citizens Grants. We commit to (standards: timely, convenience, anti-fraud, customer care to older persons… strengths/ advantages Centenary Bank has to deliver the service….with respect to cash payments/ transfers to remote/rural locations… no of agents around the country, number of branches, .”
Under the SAGE scheme implemented under the Expanding Social Protection Programme in the Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development, Government provides monthly grants of UGX 25,000 to older persons who are 80 years and above in the new districts and 65 years and above, 60 years in the case of Karamoja in the old districts. The grants are intended to enable older persons to meet their basic needs, access basic services, and to start income generating activities where they can. The Programme piloted between 2010-15 in 15 districts. In November 2018, Government announced a national roll out to cover all districts.
Stephen Kasaija, head, Social Protection Programme Management Unit, said, “Centenary Bank comes on board at a time the Programme is implementing a national roll out and at a time the country is fighting the Covid-19 Pandemic. Their countrywide presence through bank agents and their robust payment channels will go a long way to support us achieve our goal to pay older persons timely, reliably and safely.”
