Uganda made headlines in 2009 when it introduced the anti-homosexuality bill that included a death sentence for gay sex. The country’s lawmakers passed a bill in 2014, but they replaced the death penalty clause with a proposal of life in prison.
Local and International activists against a background of criminalization of homosexuality directly and indirectly challenged Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill which was later annulled in August of 2014 by the country’s constitutional court on a technicality. Despite the annulment, leaders and the general population in Uganda have continuously become more and more strident, the general population is becoming more homophobic. A lot of sensitization has been conducted by LGBTI rights groups on this very topic, however, it’s been noted that this has hardly created any difference as the society is becoming even more unaccepting of homosexuality.
The Ugandan government’s plan to reintroduce a bill that could impose the death penalty for homosexuality is being met with defiance from the LGBTQ community.
Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo said on Oct. 10 that government planned to re-introduce an anti-homosexuality bill in parliament. His statement was widely reported and international donors to Uganda said they were monitoring the situation closely and stood by the rights of LGBT+ people.
A spokesperson for President Yoweri Museveni later denied the plan, saying that Uganda’s current penal law – which provides for up to life imprisonment for gay sex – was sufficient.
There has been reports of worrying trends of arrests and attacks on the Ugandan LGBTQ community. According to LGBT group Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a young gay man, Brian Wasswa, was bludgeoned to death at his home in Jinja.
Justine Balya at the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) says her organization has recorded three cases of murder on LGBT community members in a space of two months.
“We are concerned about the current political environment and homophobic comments being made by government personnel,” said Balya, referencing Lokodo’s announcement, as well as Ugandan Minister for Security Gen. Elly Tumwine’s claim that LGBTI people are connected to “terrorism.”
Godfrey Kawalya a Ugandan- UK based gay rights activist and one of the activists that challenged the 2014 anti-homosexuality bill says, ” What is happening to the Ugandan LGBT community is alarming. We condemn the increasing homophobic attacks on the community and call upon the public to know that we have the right to be who we are, we are your children, we are your sisters, we are your brothers, don’t preach hate but preach love, our lives matter”.
A gay Rwandan refugee was brutally beaten outside Gay Refugee Care NGO office in Kampala, while on Oct. 13, two transgender women were beaten when they were leaving a nightclub, campaigners said, sharing pictures of the victims’ bloodied faces on social media.
In a statement, the United Nations refugee agency in Uganda confirmed there was an assault on a Rwandan refugee but said they did not have the full information as the victim was still recovering from his injuries in hospital.
In a brief statement posted on her official statement, Winnie Byanyima wife to Dr. Kizza Besigye stated that it is criminal and cowardly to violently assault refugees adding that gay Ugandans have equal rights like all other Ugandans and that assaulting them is cruel and inhuman. She called for authorities to intervene and make sure gay rights are observed.
“True there are people whom the community got concerned (about) and reported to the police that there were a group of people who are staying in a house and they looked suspicious,” said Patrick Onyango, Kampala police spokesperson.
“Police went to the house and they are trying to find out if they are involved in any criminality or illegal activities,” he said, adding that police have asked the public to be vigilant.
Uganda is seen as one of the most difficult countries in Africa to be in a sexual minority with members of the LGBT+ community facing physical violence and harassment to prejudice in getting jobs, renting housing or seeking medical care.
