The Deputy Attorney General has been accused of obstructing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which was unanimously approved by the House last month.
It has come to light that Jackson Karugaba Kafuuzi, the deputy attorney general and member of parliament for Kyaka South County, wrote to the president to “disassociate” the attorney general’s office from the bill and warn him not to sign it.
During a plenary session, Solomon Silwany, the MP for Bukooli County Central, informed the House that he had a leaked letter from Kafuuzi to the President recommending him not to sign the bill that the Clerk of Parliament had forwarded to him.
Silwany asked Thomas Tayebwa, Speaker of the House, for his opinion on whether it was proper for Kafuuzi to act in opposition to the House’s position, which was adopted unanimously, but Tayebwa never objected at the time.
The Dokolo District Woman MP, Cecilia Atim Ogwal, raised a procedural problem in order to find out why the President is delaying assent to the bill as the nation waits impatiently.
Francis Mwijukye, a member of parliament for Buhweju County, expressed concern that the lawmakers would bring up the bill at the next caucus meeting of NRM MPs to discuss the bill on Thursday in State House Entebbe.
Without revealing the letter’s contents, Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka acknowledged that his deputy was responsible for writing it and pleaded with the House not to meddle in the legislative process.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa cited Article 91 of the Constitution to highlight the fact that the President has the option of accepting the advice given to him or rejecting it and sending the bill back to the House for further consideration.
On March 21, 2023, Parliament unanimously approved the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which defined harsh penalties for anyone who commits homosexual actions, up to and including the death penalty for those who commit aggravated homosexual crimes.
Asuman Basalirwa, a member of parliament from Bugiri Municipality, introduced the private member’s bill on March 9th, 2023.
By giving a person determined to have recruited a youngster into the vice a 10-year prison sentence, it also outlaws acts that introduce kids to homosexuality.
The bill also aims to impose a 10-year prison term on any owner, occupant, or manager of property who knowingly permits the use of the property for homosexual conduct.
Additionally, anyone found guilty of intentionally participating in the planning of a same-sex marriage, presiding over a same-sex marriage ceremony, or contracting a marriage with a person of the same sex faces a 10-year prison term.
Notably, a number of activists opposed the bill, claiming that it violated human rights and was backward.
