The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 has been approved by Parliament with five revisions as a result of President Yoweri Museveni’s suggestions.
On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, as she presided over the House meeting, Speaker Anita Among praised the legislators’ dedication to upholding Uganda’s values and culture and urged them to stick to their guns.
“I want to implore the lawmakers to maintain their resolve. No amount of intimidation will make us retract what we have done. You shouldn’t let handouts or tiny envelopes ruin you. Uganda will not be ruled by the West, among declared.
She encouraged the Attorney General to send the Bill to the President as soon as possible for approval.
The Bill was initially passed on March 21, 2023, but the President ordered its return.
The President’s concerns and recommendations regarding how to distinguish between being a homosexual and really committing acts of homosexuality were examined by the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
The President said the law should be unambiguous so that what is being criminalized is not the state of one having a deviant tendency but rather the conduct of one acting on the deviance or promoting the same.
The committee’s initial expression of the President’s concerns was in its report to the House, according to the committee’s chair, the Honorable Robinah Rwakoojo.
According to Rwakoojo, “the committee recommends that Clauses 2 and 3 be amended to further clarify the purpose and intention of the Bill, which is to criminalize sexual acts committed by people of the same sex rather than punishing someone based on their perceived sexuality or outward appearance.
Peter Ogwang, the state minister for sports, encouraged lawmakers not to be frightened by the West in light of claims on social media that the ministry of health planned to cut off funding for the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS.
“Have they been providing us with that help to encourage homosexuality in Uganda? Studies have indicated that homosexuals are the ones spreading AIDS. My friends, don’t be afraid. You were destined to live in Uganda, and we’ll always be Africans, Ogwang said.
The threat of international agencies withholding aid can be addressed, according to Hon. Nsaba Buturo (NRM, Bufumbira East County), by combating corruption.
“We steal three times as much from ourselves as we do from these haughty folks throughout the world. I appeal to the president and administration to solve this issue of corruption because it is rendering us unable to stand up for the interests of our people,” Nsaba Buturo said.
The committee also suggested the combining of two sub-clauses under Clause 9 of the Bill that relate to owners of properties that may be reported to be used to commit the offense of homosexuality.
Regarding the obligation to report acts of homosexuality under Clause 14, the President expressed worry that the provision presented constitutional difficulties and produced needless obligations that would be difficult to implement and cause conflicts in society.
The President suggested that clause 14 be removed or, failing that, that it be rewritten to limit it to kids and other socially vulnerable people as required by Article 17(1)(c) of the Constitution.
However, the committee claimed that clause 14 is significant because it requires anyone who knows about or has a solid suspicion that someone has committed or is about to commit the crime of homosexuality to contact the police so that the appropriate measures can be taken.
“The committee recommends that Clause 14 of the Bill stand as part of the Bill, albeit with an amendment to Clause 9(3) to create criminal sanctions against a person who does not report acts of homosexuality that are committed against children and other vulnerable persons,” said Rwakoojo.
On Clause, the House approved a bill sponsored by Hon. Jonathan Odur (UPC, Erute County South) that would have increased the maximum sentence from six months to five years in prison.
MPs rejected a suggestion by Hon. Fox Odoi (NRM, West Budama, North East County) to strike the President’s referenced passages and therefore reject the entire bill.
Odoi said that the president’s proposals weren’t enough to save the bill when he presented a minority report on it.
Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, leader of the opposition, urged lawmakers to read and comprehend the bill so they could effectively defend the nation’s perspective on society and life.
“Do not take the law at face value, but understand it. Speak to our people because we owe it to ourselves to defend our children and preserve our culture, Mpuuga said.
He made reference to a gathering he went to in the US, where he criticized Africans for their efforts to defend the right to sexual orientation.
“I don’t see them defending the exchange of technological knowledge like the Chinese do.” “I pressed these people on the fact that the black race is having trouble transferring technology to Africa, but not homosexuality,” Mpuuga continued.
