President Yoweri Museveni has reiterated his position against homosexuality, saying that the act is a deviation from normal.
Museveni made the statement while addressing Parliament on Thursday in a sitting held at Kololo Independence grounds.
In a brief statement about the issue that continues to dominate public debate, Museveni told Members of Parliament that they shall get time and discuss the matter thoroughly. He however hastened to add that homosexuality is a deviation from normal.
“Why, is it by nature or by nurture…we need to answer those questions,” Museveni said. “This deviant, is he deviant by nature or by nurture? We need a medical opinion on that. We shall discuss it thoroughly.”
His statement comes at a time when the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee is scrutinizing the new Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 recently tabled before the House by Bugiri Municipality MP, Asuman Basalirwa.
In his Bill, Basalirwa emphasized the need to improve the Penal Code Act, which was enacted by British colonialists to prohibit recruitment, promotion, and funding of same-sex practices because the vice threatens the continuity of the family and the safety of children. This is the second attempt by Uganda to have a stand-alone legislation against homosexuality.
On December 20th, 2013, parliament passed the first Anti Homosexuality Bill that was tabled by Ndorwa East MP, David Bahati and assented to by President Yoweri Museveni on February 24th February 2014.
However, the Constitutional Court annulled the law on August 1st, 2014, on grounds that it had been passed without the requisite quorum.“Western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by trying to impose their practices on other people,” Museveni said.
“Europeans and other groups marry cousins and near relatives, here (in Uganda) to marry within a clan is taboo…should we impose sanctions on them for marrying relations? So, we should put sanctions on people who are marrying their cousins in other parts of the world too? This is not our job, if they are marrying their cousins that is their problem.”
The President noted that sex in Uganda and may be in other parts of Africa is confidential. “Even heterosexuality, even the heterosexuals, they do it in confidentially, otherwise how do we come to know that you are a homosexual unless you publicize it? We shall discuss all this,” the President assured the MPs.
Early last month, the President assured the public that Uganda will not embrace homosexuality and that the West should stop seeking to impose its views to compel dissenting countries to normalize what he called deviations.
Museveni was then speaking at the national celebrations to mark Janani Luwum Day at Wii-Gweng village in Mucwini Sub-County, Kitgum District. The celebrations were presided over by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Archbishop, His Grace Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu days after he denounced a move by the Church of England to allow clergy bless same-sex marriages.
“We have been telling them, please, this problem of homosexuality is not something that you should normalize and celebrate,” Museveni then said. “They don’t listen, they don’t respect other people’s views and they want to turn the abnormal into normal and force it on others. We shall not agree.”
According to the United Nations (UN), Uganda is among the 77 countries across the globe that criminalize homosexuality practices.
Pentecostal pastors have differed on the proposed Anti-homosexuality law.
Meanwhile, Pastors Solomon Male, David Kiganda, and Martin Ssempa on Wednesday appeared before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee that is currently scrutinizing the new Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 tabled by Basalirwa.
While appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, Pastor Solomon Male, the head of Arising for Christ Ministries said that the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 is not necessary since the country already has provisions under the Penal Code.
Pastor Male proposed that there is a need for better enforcement of existing laws, also noting that the proposed piece of legislation narrowly describes homosexuality by excluding women whom he said are often victims of sodomy.
He cited clause 129 of the Penal Code Act that penalizes acts of homosexuality and noted an example of a case tried by Justice Jane Frances Abodo, in which she sentenced Paul Nabamba, who sodomized a five-year-old boy in Watuwa to 30 years in jail.
Pastor Male said that Section 129 in the Penal Code Act on aggravated defilement was simply copied and pasted into the proposed Bill and renamed as aggravated homosexuality. Also highlighted by Male is the reduction of penalties from death or life imprisonment, to ten years.
He accused law enforcers of failing to apprehend reported perpetrators of homosexuality. Male proposed that the country focuses on creating awareness against homosexuality and establishing centers to rehabilitate victims.
On the other hand, Pastor Dr. Martin Ssempa said the new legislation was necessary since there is a lacuna in the existing laws regarding regulating the vice of homosexuality in particular.
Ssempa also emphasized the need to establish centers to rehabilitate and re-orient victims of homosexuality, and also called for adequate regulation of media in promoting family values. Bishop David Kiganda, the President of the National Pastors Platform of Uganda (NPPU) supported the Bill and proposed that punishments for sexual offenders should be a minimum of 10 years.
For aggravated cases of homosexuality on minors, Kiganda suggested that the offender should be tried in the High Court, and if found guilty, they should face imprisonment of 50 years. Bishop Kiganda also told MPs that licenses of schools intentionally promoting homosexuality should be revoked and institution leaders prosecuted.
Also proposed to the Committee was a need to include a provision in the Bill regulating the promotion of homosexual activities online and via broadcast media.
Kiganda also sought a clear and specific provision in the law that bans Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that promote, sponsor, harbor, and advocate for homosexuality in the country.
Bugweri County MP, Abdu Katuntu said it was important to have a specialized law that can act as a one-stop center to address the issue of homosexuality. “What this law seems to provide is that when you talk about homosexuality today, you can run to one piece of legislation. You do not have to go to the Penal Code which addresses so many other crimes,” Katuntu argued.
Robinah Rwakoojo, the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee Chairperson said that often time evidence is hardly presented to the enforcement agencies because it is destroyed. “When girls get defiled, some parents go and wash the child before getting a doctor to examine the child straight away. A medical examination is vital because that is the core evidence,” she said.