Uproar after Ugandan minister says ‘only an idiot can die of hunger’

Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Henry Okello Oryem has sparked uproar after terming those dying of hunger in Kenya’s western neighbour as idiots.

Oryem gave an interview with the Ugandan television station NTV on Wednesday where he was asked about hunger situation in the country.

“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,” the minister responded.

“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?”

According to Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), eight million people are suffering from ‘chronic hunger’ with the country’s northern region being the worst hit.

Local media have been reporting thousands of hunger-related deaths in the region since 2022.

Last year, the Ugandan Human Rights Commission said 2,000 people died of hunger and starvation in the north-eastern region of Karamoja, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported.

Some social media users were quick to rebuke Oryem for his comments, terming them arrogant and insensitive.

“What a pity. Anyway, we all know how he became a minister,” wrote @AchieMug on X.

“Ugandans facing food insecurity are victims of circumstances such as climate change, economic inequality, lack of access to education, & limited employment opportunities. It’s crucial for leaders to approach such matters with compassion rather than resorting to derogatory language,” said @IshimweRogers1.

Minister Oryem is the son of the late General Tito Lutwa Okello, who served as Uganda’s president from July 1985 and January 1986.