Ugandans who have remained poor may soon be dragged to police and tasked to explain why they are still poor, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has said, reigniting a debate on how much out-of-touch with the population officials in President Yoweri Museveni’s government can be.

Last week, Nabbanja was in the districts of Lwengo, Kyotera, Rakai and for an agriculture mobilisation campaign after President Yoweri Museveni directed her and the entire government – she is leader of government business – to mobilise farmers to increase agricultural production, productivity, and profitability.

The Prime Minister says that the campaign provides a platform to bring together small scale and large scale farmers, agricultural researchers, farmer associations, agro-input dealers, and other stakeholders to share knowledge and skills, as well as “helps us to identify and respond to issues that are affecting service delivery in the agriculture sector.”

In the mobilization tour, Nabbanja says she donated over 20 motorcycles to sub county extension workers to enhance extension services in the districts of Lwengo, Kyotera, Rakai and Masaka districts. “We also supported farmers and groups with various agro inputs, hand driven tractors and livestock to boost farmer’s efforts towards wealth creation,” she added.

But for many, Nabbanja’s mobilization tour would have gone unnoticed had she not made statements on tasking the poor to explain their poverty despite President Museveni’s efforts to drive them out of poverty.

Nabbanja said government may be compelled to start demanding that all poor people go to the nearest police post or station and make statements, explaining why they have remained in poverty when President Museveni has been injecting money to drive them out of poverty in various development and poverty eradication programs over the years.

“If you don’t want to become rich by peaceful means, we will make you rich by force. We take you to police and record a statement telling us why your brother has gotten rich yet you have failed to get money,” said Nabbanja.

“You tell us, you got the Parish Development Model (PDM) money, why didn’t you become rich, you got Emyoga funds, why didn’t you get rich? You have five or six acres of land, why don’t you use that land? We are still speaking peacefully, but time will come and we shall use some force. We want rich people.”

Another Museveni minister has told poor Ugandans to forget about going to heaven. (See Details Here).