Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has referred Anti-Homosexuality Bill to legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee for scrutiny.
Earlier today, Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa tabled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill after obtaining a certificate of financial implications.
“This is to certify that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 has been reviewed in accordance with section 78 of the public finance and management Act 2015 as amended,” Said Matia Kasaija, the Finance Minister.
“I have tabled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill for first reading. The Bill is referred to the Committee of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and directed to ensure there is a sufficient public hearing of the bill. Everyone can come and Uganda hears what they have to say,” he said during plenary.
Last month, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among tasked Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa to reintroduce the Anti-Homosexuality bill. The bill comes at a time when there are widespread cases of same-sex relationships in the community and major traditional schools.
The bill aims at among others protecting traditional families by prohibiting sexual relationships between people of the same sex, strengthening that country’s capacity to deal with emerging threats to the traditional family, protecting the cherished culture of Uganda and protecting children and youth who are vulnerable to sexual abuse.
It also seeks to criminalise same-sex relationships with a liability of imprisonment of two to 10 years for homosexuality, aggravated homosexuality, attempted homosexuality, aiding and abetting homosexuality, conspiracy to commit homosexuality and other related practices.
The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 was passed by Parliament on 20 December 2013 with life in prison substituted for the death penalty. Whereas it was signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni on February 24, 2014, the Constitutional Court on August 1,2014 annulled the law citing that it was passed without the required quorum in the House.
