“I urge all Ugandans and the Members of Parliament to reject homosexuality in all its forms and manifestations.”
MP’s in Uganda are pushing for the country to re-introduce harsher anti-gay laws to punish homosexuals, claiming they are “un-African” and “uncouth”.
Politicians are campaigning for the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014, known as ‘Kill the Gays Bill’, to be brought back into law. The country passed the act in December 2013, but it was ruled invalid on procedural grounds the following August.
The act aimed to broaden the criminalisation of same-sex activity in Uganda, including penalties for individuals, companies and non-governmental organisations that aid or abet any gay acts, such as marriage.
Talks of re-introducing the bill occurred when Rebecca Kadaga – Speaker of Parliament – was commended for her performance at the IPU (Inter Parliamentary Union) in March, where she claimed Uganda would withdraw from the union if LGBTQ rights were ever endorsed.
Nsaba Buturo, former Minister of State for Ethics & Integrity, praised Kadaga: “The external interests have threatened and used all kinds of means to force nations such as Uganda to accept the same sex practices.
“I urge all Ugandans and the Members of Parliament to reject homosexuality in all its forms and manifestations.”
Uganda is one of the 36 countries in Africa where homosexuality remains illegal and carries a potential sentence of life in prison.
There are no legal protections for LGBTQ people in the country, and in 2007, 96% of Ugandan residents said they believed homosexuality was a way of life that should not be accepted.
Gay men in Uganda, in 2016, also revealed that the police use the barbaric practice of anal exams to determine whether to arrest them of having had sex with other men.
Latest
