Kasese municipality never recognized homosexuals as minorities – Mayor

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kasese Municipality Mayor Chance Kahindo has disregarded information circulating on social media that his council passed a bylaw recognising homosexuals and transgender people as minority groups.

Kasese municipal council early last year was engaged by a Human Rights Awareness Promotion Forum-HRAPF, an NGO promoting human rights for key populations that would result in the bylaws on access to HIV/TB services in the municipality.

But on Wednesday, the speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa told parliament that he had received news that the Kasese municipal council made attempts to pass a by-law that recognizes homosexuals and transgender people as minorities.

However, the mayor said that during the stakeholders’ consultative and legislation process, they discovered that the contents and citations of the HIV/TB services accessibility bill provided grounds for transgender and homosexual practices and subsequently the content and citation were removed from the bill.

The mayor added that the bill has never been approved by the Kasese Municipal Council nor has it been forwarded to the Solicitor General. He adds that the content circulating on social media is from the 2022 proposed bill that was overwhelmingly rejected and does not form part of Kasese Municipal council’S legislation content.

“Therefore council disassociates herself from the social media content circulating and under all obligations defend and protect the constitution of the republic of Uganda…” Kahindo said in his communication.

Kahindo also noted that the municipal council continues to work with all those mandated institutions, agencies, interest groups, and religious and development bodies in the fight against homosexuality and transgender vices.

Jolly Biira, the secretary for social services had earlier communicated that her committee made recommendations including the removal of two categories; homosexual and transgender from the proposed bill because they conflict with the national constitution.

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