VIEWSROOM: Why Anti-Homosexuality Bill is a Misplaced School of Thought

By Joseph Mugisha

In a few days our mighty parliament of Uganda passed the controversial Homosexuality Bill. This is not the first of it’s kind the first being in 2014 that was later overturned by our Court of Laws. On top of that, it’s not the first bill our parliament, out of emotion’s, pass Laws for other purposes outside the public eye. 

In our penal code, most provisions in the bill are catered for. What’s different here is making the act; consented and unconsented to illegal. The biggest question in all the above is “Proving beyond no reasonable doubt” to aid prosecution and later conviction in an instance where there is consent.

I would relate this law to “Marital Rape”. I don’t know of any conviction that has ever been passed under this law. Reason is lack of sufficient evidence adduced before court. These are two adults who are married, living under the same roof, even at times in a  same bedroom. Their actions are between the two.

Likewise how will government enforce such a law against homosexuals who do their actions out of consent? Who will come to complain in such an instance? I think this law, like earlier mentioned was passed out of emotion’s and most likely to attract the sympathy votes from out citizens well knowing our traditional and cultural settings. Serious issues at hand don’t have anything near homosexuality.

We saw how parliament overwhelmingly voted to censure Hon Namuganza, when the same parliament doesn’t come in to censure the corrupt OPDM officials over iron sheets and other corruption related cases. Homosexuality is an ideological warfare that is coming in to challenge the heterosexuality settings as is known. It’s a bigger war than what’s written in the papers.

Homosexuality has been there even it’s the reason as to why it was written in the Bible. What’s needed to be done is to enrich laws against forced initiation into such movements, publication of such materials, forced sexual acts in public places like school’s, churches and so on, parents getting back to their roles of upbringing their children in a sensible manner.

I, in this law see nothing much to be gained in terms of enforcement more than what’s provided for in our penal code. I only see Uganda being an island and suffering economically.

The writer is a political analyst

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MORE REPORTING ON THIS ISSUE

You can read Gen David Sejusa’s interesting views on Homosexuality Here.

Andrew Mwenda has described the Anti-Homosexuality Law as ‘stupid’ and explain why it will make Ugandans cry. (See Details Here).

You can read more about the punishments awaiting homosexuals if President Museveni signs the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into Law HERE.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s US government has sent a clear warning to Museveni as the nation waits to see if the elderly long-serving leader will assent to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. (See Details Here).