The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has recommended to parliament to include provisions for juvenile homosexual offenders in the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023.
This is carried in the Ministry’s submission to the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee that is currently considering the Bill recently tabled by Bugiri Municipality MP, Asuman Basalirwa.
Appearing before the committee on Saturday, Hellen Asamo the Minister of State for Disability proposed a new sub-clause under Clause 2 of the Bill providing that any child who commits an offense of homosexuality is liable, on conviction, to a custodial sentence or rehabilitation for three years.
Asamo told the committee that the penalty is the maximum for capital offense rehabilitation in the Children’s Act.
The Ministry also proposed that the committee includes a provision in the Bill for the isolation of juvenile and adult homosexual offenders.
Asamo suggested that there should be special facilities in the Prison to isolate homosexual offenders to prevent them from continuing with the practice and protect other inmates from falling victim to homosexual practices.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity, Rose Lily Akello proposed that the Pornography Control Committee should be listed in the Bill as one of the authorities to curb the promotion of homosexuality.
She said that pornography is used to lure and recruit people to start practicing homosexuality and that the Committee should be listed as the agency in charge of rehabilitating victims of homosexuality.
While tabling the Bill recently, 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 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.
In his address to Parliament on Thursday, President Yoweri Museveni reiterated his position against homosexuality, saying that the act is a deviation from normal.
The President noted that sex in Uganda and maybe in other parts of Africa is confidential.
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