Henry Okello Oryem, the Ugandan minister of Foreign affairs has found himself on the wrong side with his fellow countrymen, after claiming that Ugandans dying of hunger are idiots.
Oryem made the remarks during a televised interview, claiming that there is enough land and good climate and it was only a matter of working hard to kill hunger.
“Only an idiot, a real idiot, can die of hunger in Uganda. Those are idiots because there is enough food in Uganda. If you work hard, there is land in Uganda, the climate is right despite climate change,” he responded to a question on hunger situation in Uganda.
“If you make an effort to go out in the morning to till your land, plant your seed and maintain your plantation, surely, how then can you fail to get food?” he further said.
“Those people dying of hunger in Uganda are idiots because there is enough food, land and the right climate,” says Henry Okello Oryem, the State Minister of Foreign Affairs. #MorningAtNTV. pic.twitter.com/BdkqYaj9g4
— NTV UGANDA (@ntvuganda) January 24, 2024
Taking social media, Ugandans have slammed Oryem for being arrogant and insensitive.
“It can never be well with this lot!This man will swallow his words some day when Ugandans speak their minds.The arrogance smells!” one said on X.
Another comment read; “What a pity. Anyway we all know how he became a minister.”
“The arrogance of a spoilt kid, this guy has been living on State funds since he was born.His family have had the“entitlementand has never had a proper job or know how most Ugandans work hard to put food on the table. In fact him and his brother were treated like Kings in Mwiiri,”another X user said.
According to the Ugandan Human Rights Commission at least 2,000 Ugandans died of hunger in Karamoja region in 2023.
