In the parliamentary sitting held yesterday, the chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ms. Robina Rwakoojo the Gomba West MP said,” We are completing report writing on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023,to be presented to plenary tomorrow.”
The bill, among others, seek to prohibit same-sex sexual relations, strengthen Uganda’s capacity to deal with domestic and foreign threats to the heterosexual family, safeguard traditional and cultural values and protect youth/ children against gay and lesbian practices on the perpetrators.
The entire country is waiting for the Parliament today to reach positive agreements on the Bill. Whereas, parliament today is to vote on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 amidst mixed reactions from various stakeholders most especially western countries as well as LGBT rights activists.
According to reliable sources, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 will be presented for the second and third time reading. The bill has been fronted by the Bugiri Municipality Legislature, Mr. Asuman Basalirwa, who also hails from the JEEMA political party.
As earlier before proposed by the Speaker of the House Hon. Anita Among, the voting will be conducted by the show of hands. Though this is not yet clearly confirmed, several religious leaders have proposed the show of hands in order to know who is who in handling this serious matter that many Ugandans believe it is foreign and anti traditional to their societies. However the speaker of parliament has vowed that the Bill must pass at whatever cost.
Homosexuality and lack of Integrity which is Uganda’s biggest problem
While appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee last week the Attorney General (AG), Mr. Kiryoowa Kiwanuka, disagreed with some ministers who were in favor of the Bill saying that it is redundant due to multiple repetitions of offenses in already existing legislation.
Equally, members of the parliament and academic scholars offered divergent views on the Bill before the same committee.Lawyers advised that the Bill be discarded because there are already strict penalties for aggravated sexual crimes even for minors.
Lawyer Mabiriizi also asked court to quash the bill urging that among others, Speaker Anita Among, who is supposed to be neutral, is biased in favor of passing the Bill.
In addition on that,other people’s views on the bill via the media included Hon. Diana Mutasingwa, the Buikwe Woman MP via her social media twitter handle “the decision made in Parliament on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 today will shape the future of our children in years to come, for or against recruiting people to start practicing homosexuality. I urge my fellow to stand firm in their beliefs and vote the right decision,” she said.
How the Anti-gay affects you
If the bill is enacted in its current form, homosexuals, landlords, brothel proprietors, journalists and film directors face imprisonment or fines, ranging from Shs.5m to Shs100m. Offenses of Homosexuality and attempted or aggravated homosexuality will attract a maximum of 10-year jail term while any entity promoting the vice shall pay a fine of Shs100m among others.
“The important thing isn’t what will happen in the parliament today tabling and passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Its what to do the day after. The MPs are hellbent on their hate, prejudice driven agenda against the queer community. They can’t disappear the community,” Mr. Nicholas Opiyo the lawyer and and a human right activist said.
Nevertheless, homosexuality, gayism and lesbianism all portray a sign of disrespecting God’s image as the Bible says in the book of creation(Genesis) .It is clearly shown that God created a Woman for a Man not a man for a man or a woman for a woman.The current contradictions have been fueled by different foreign stakeholders whose goal is to see Africans(Uganda) backsliding from their cultural traditions and norms.
The final report from the Parliament today will determine much more on the future of the entire upcoming generations (Youths) as MP Diana Mutasingwa clarified on her twitter handle.
As a fellow citizen, we have to pull back on our parallel levels, the disintegrations brought by politics and quarrels must be left out and aside. We must stick together, be firm and confidently defend our nation of the coming generation.
Though we need to advance from the stage of third World to another level in both Social and Economic spheres, we must also take a note that not all foreign policies are positively effective.Some we yearn for are weakest spot of our crippling. Note ,not all of the aid we receive from foreign powers yield negative consequences, but of our suffering, disintegration, foreign dominant powers are the culprits.
