ABSTRACT
Social protection is gaining traction in many African countries. In 2011, Uganda introduced the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) with two main components – the Vulnerable Families' Grant and the Senior Citizens' Grant (SCG) with financial support from Department for International Development (DfID). This chapter unpacks the methods used by patronage to harness social assistance for political gain; how and why initial reluctance to give cash to the poor suddenly changed as elections approached. It shows Uganda's experience with cash transfer confirms Hickey's claim that there is growing evidence that politics overridingly shapes social protection initiatives. From time immemorial, the poor and vulnerable in Uganda have been cared for through family and community systems. It is important to note that Uganda's most economically active adults do not work in formal wage employment. In 2010, the Expanding Social Protection Programme (ESPP) was launched as a five-year plan to complement existing basic services and poverty reduction projects.
