A section of Ugandans on social media has expressed their anger at the Parliament after it directed the ministries of Tourism and Ethics and Integrity to block the forthcoming Nyege Nyege festival.
Nyege Nyege festival is an annual social event and this year the festival that is scheduled for Thursday, 15 September 2022 for three days at the source of the Nile in Jinja district was first held in 2013.
However, there have been numerous concerns about the promotion of immorality and issues to do with homosexuality.
Rose Lilly Akello, the Minister of Ethics and Integrity said that the government has been working together with Police and the event organisers and that the latter have been summoned for a meeting in which they will have to agree to certain terms and conditions for the event to proceed.
“Nyege Nyege is an event that promotes immorality which is not wanted in our country,”Akello explained why the government is banning the festival.
The Minister said for the nyege nyege event to happen, children below 18 shouldn’t attend, nobody should go to that event naked, nobody should go to nyege nyege with any form of body exposure.
However, some Ugandans hit the social media questioning whether Parliament has the power to cancel the festival
Others said there is nothing more immoral than letting children in Karamoja die of hunger, while the government gives out citizens’ money to bribe voters whenever there is an election taking place in the country.
“Being an “ethics and integrity minister”, I expected you to fight corruption among government institutions instead of fighting Nyege Nyege which has no corruption scandal but rather rumors about immortality,”George William said.
Ugandans on social media accused Parliament of acting on rumors about immorality during nyege nyege but paying a blind eye to documented cases of corruption.
“Talk about Lubowa specialized hospital, Roko, Vinci coffee deals. I don’t know what has befallen this country, “said Joseph Mawa.
Journalist, Canary Mugume said usually when there’s an issue, Parliament refers the matter to a committee and in there, all stakeholders are listened to but about Nyege Nyege, the speaker of Parliament made a ruling without listening to any of the stakeholders especially those that have invested resources in this event.
However, the district Woman MP for Tororo, Sarah Opendi insisted that the event which goes on during both day and night for three days breeds immorality including recruitment and promotion of homosexuality.
