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Rwanda Accused of Manipulating Poverty Statistics

Eugene Uwimana

   KIGALI, RWANDA - In Rwanda, there is an ongoing debate over the
   authenticity of poverty statistics. The government says poverty has
   dropped dramatically, but people who are actually destitute, and their
   advocates, are skeptical.

   Seventy-nine-year-old Rwandan Ananias Munyarubuga, who lost both his
   legs in a motorcycle accident, lives in utter poverty. The house he
   lives in is in very bad condition. He walks with great difficulty. He
   says to eat is not easy.
   He says he sometimes spends more than three days without eating,
   waiting until someone brings him some food. He says poverty is
   overwhelming.
   Munyarubuga still hopes for government assistance but cannot get the
   help he needs.
   He says the authorities have told him that to get a house he needs to
   have a plot of land. But, he says, he doesn't have land and cannot get
   it. He says he is asking the government to build him a house so he can
   at least have shelter for his remaining days on Earth.

   The Rwandan government says extreme poverty in the country dropped
   dramatically by 2017, to 34 percent of the population, compared to more
   than 60 percent in 2007.

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