Lawmakers in Uganda have approved a revised version of the country’s controversial anti-gay bill. The original bill faced widespread condemnation from the international community for prescribing life imprisonment for “homosexuality” and the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality.
Ugandan Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka confirmed that, once the bill is passed into law, the executive will carry out its duty to execute it.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had previously returned the bill to parliament, requesting changes. This latest version appears to have addressed his concerns.
Despite the controversy surrounding the bill, Asuman Basalirwa, Ugandan Legislator and Mover of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023, expressed his gratitude to fellow lawmakers for their support, stating, “I know all of us have faced intimidation out there, people being promised to be denied visas, travel restrictions, and bans – but we have been able to withstand that.”
The US has previously warned of economic consequences should the legislation be enacted. However, Mathias Mpuuga, Ugandan Legislator and Leader of Opposition criticized the US for what he saw as misplaced priorities, stating, “The black race is struggling to transfer homosexuality, not technology, to Africa – and nobody could answer me.”
It is worth noting that homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law criminalizing sex acts between people of the same gender.