Uganda’s disability rights advocates have renewed their push for stronger social protection for children with disabilities, calling on government to introduce a National Child Disability Benefit, as the country prepares to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Mubende.
The call was made during a news conference held on Dec.2 at the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Social Protection Secretariat in Kampala, a day before national celebrations for Persons with Disabilities Day, which will take place on Wednesday, Dec.3 under the theme, “Wealth Creation Programmes: A Key to Socio-Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities”.
Angeline Atimango, the Coordinator for the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Persons with Disabilities, said the current social protection framework in Uganda does not adequately respond to the unique challenges faced by children with disabilities and their families.
She said over two million children in Uganda are estimated to be living with some form of disability, yet there is no direct national benefit specifically meant to support them. She noted that children with disabilities are disproportionately affected by poverty, stigma and exclusion, especially when it comes to accessing health services, education and rehabilitation.
According to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, more than 1.7 million children aged between 2 and 17 years experience functional difficulties, and the figure is estimated to rise to over 2.2 million when including children below the age of two. Households with a member living with a disability spend up to 40 per cent more on basic expenses compared to other households, placing families under severe financial strain.
Gloria Nakajubi, Advocacy and Communications Lead at the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Social Protection, said a proposed National Child Disability Benefit would provide families with a monthly grant of Shs100,000 per child with a disability. She explained that the support would go beyond addressing basic needs and would help improve access to education, healthcare and rehabilitation services.
“This is about restoring dignity and enabling opportunity. When families receive consistent support, parents – most often mothers and primary caregivers – are able to join income- generating activities and strengthen household livelihoods,” Nakajubi said.
She added that Uganda already has legal and policy obligations to protect persons with disabilities, including provisions in the Constitution, the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2020 and global commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
However, she said there is an urgent need to translate these commitments into practical support for children living with disabilities.
Marvin Joshua Onyang, the Monitoring and Evaluation Lead at UPFSP, emphasised the importance of setting up a reliable and accessible identification system to ensure the proposed benefit reaches all eligible children.
He said identification should be carried out at parish level, using existing community structures such as Village Health Teams, parish chiefs, LC1 leaders, community development officers and organisations of persons with disabilities. He also called for the establishment of a national database and the issuance of disability cards to enable access to both the proposed benefit and other essential services.
Onyang noted that the government would need an estimated Shs234.8 billion to fully roll out the programme nationwide and described this as a long-term investment in Uganda’s human capital and inclusive development.
The advocates urged government, Parliament and development partners to use the upcoming International Day of Persons with Disabilities as a turning point for decisive policy action, saying that true national progress will be measured not just by celebrations, but by meaningful investment in the lives and future of children with disabilities.
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