Simon Lokodo, Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister has told Reuters that the controversial anti-gay bill will be reintroduced in the country’s parliament and will be voted on before the end of the year.
He added that the bill is supported by the president, President Yoweri Museveni. In 2014, a constitutional court in the country annulled the bill after it was signed into law in February.
Lukodo in his interview with Reuters believes there has been a “mass recruitment by gay people in schools” and that people in community are producing “faslehood.”
“Our current penal law is limited. It only criminalises the act. We want it made clear that anyone who is even involved in promotion and recruitment has to be criminalised. Those that do grave acts will be given the death sentence.” Lukodo in his interview with Reuters.
Richard Lusimbo is the Research and Documentation Manager at Sexual Minorities Uganda, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to protecting and supporting Uganda’s LGBT community. For him, the conversations around the law put the community at risk.
“The reintroduction of this law put the lives of people in our community at risk and it shows that the government has abandoned its role to protect the LGBT community. They are more focused on dividing and isolating the community and it leaves us vulnerable even as we are minorities in this country”
On Twitter, KuchuTimes added that the bill will be introduced on the 28th of this month.
Plans are in full gear by the Government of Uganda to table the Anti-Homosexuality “Kill The Gay” bill in its original raw form on the floor of parliament come 28th of this month and is expected to be voted on before the year closes. pic.twitter.com/T2LqKrVRfu
— KuchuTimes (Q-Times) (@KuchuTimes) October 11, 2019
Lusimbo believes that this is the time for the community to remain united.
“We need to be a united community and we need more voices to speak out across Africa. The effects of the law doesn’t only affect the LGBT community in Uganda; it is something that can affect us all so being vigilant and speaking out would be really important. I also think we need to collaborate with the local LGBT organisations in the country to know what form of response is required and no the kind of support that will be needed.”
“It will be also important to know the context of the country that we are working in so there won’t be backlash on the community in Uganda”
UPDATE: Ofwono Opondo who is the Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre tweeted that the government doesn’t plan to introduce a new law to criminalise same sex activities.
STOP PRESS LGBT Bill: Government hereby clarifies that it does not intend to introduce any new law with regards to the regulation of #LGBT activities in Uganda because the current provisions in the #PenalCode are sufficient. @UgandaMediaCent @lindahNabusayi @ubctvuganda @nbstv
— Ofwono Opondo P'Odel (@OfwonoOpondo) October 12, 2019
