Ugandan minister Haruna Kasolo. (NilePost)

A Ugandan minister has suggested that “lazy-poor citizens” be beaten by the government to force them to work hard and get rich, according to local media.

Addressing members of a religious sect in Kayunga District, Microfinance State Minister Haruna Kasolo said the country’s parliament must pass a law to beat the less fortunate class into acquiring wealth.

“In future, government could pass a law in parliament whereby all the lazy-poor people would be given strokes so that they can also learn to work and become rich because we have discovered that some Ugandans need to be pushed into wealth acquisition,” he said, as quoted by Daily Monitor.

“President Museveni and the ruling NRM government have put in place poverty eradication programs with the intention of making Ugandans rich, but many are still adamant and have remained poor.”

A 2022 World Bank report ranked Uganda as a low-income country, just after President Museveni and Finance minister Matia Kasaija said the economy had risen to middle-income status.

About 41 percent of the country’s 47 million people are also said to be living in poverty