Uganda to pay poverty allowance

Any Ugandan who was born, raised or has lived in poverty all their life will be eligible, officials said.

An additional $6 a month will be given to families who care for needy orphans and children with disabilities.

The government has already received $4m from international aid agencies including Help The Aged to fund the scheme, minister Sulaiman Madada said.

Mr Madada, minister for the elderly and disabled, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the government would use several criteria to determine who is eligible for the payment, including bureau of statistics information and local community sources.

"We will consider issues like a family that has no reasonable shelter ... even families that are headed by children, a family headed by an older person," Mr Madada said.

A pilot project has already started in six districts, he was quoted as saying by the Daily Monitor newspaper.

Thirty-nine per cent of Ugandans live in poverty, according to the UN Development Programme.