Anti-Gay Bill Returned To Parliament

President Yoweri Museveni has declined to assent to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill,2023, and officially returned it to parliament today for revision.

The president wants the parliament to redefine homosexuality and also remove a clause that seeks to penalize persons who hire out their premises for homosexual acts.

On a rare occasion, as today’s Parliament sitting was ongoing and chaired by the Deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among stormed in with a blue letter from President Yoweri Museveni, communicating the official return of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2023.

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa received a letter acknowledging receipt of a letter that President Yoweri Museveni wrote to the speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among.

Among other things, the president wants parliament to make some changes and Distinguish between being a homosexual and actually engaging in acts of Homosexuality. He wants the law to criminalize the act of homosexuality, not someone’s state of being homosexual.

The President also included Clause 9(1) which seeks to penalize persons who hire out their premises for homosexual acts among those that should be expunged.

The president also seeks changes in the bill to review Clause 14 which imposes a duty on one to report suspected acts of homosexuality.

Asuman Basalirwa the mover of the bill concurs with the president on the need to redefine homosexuality and distinguish between a homosexual and actually engaging in acts of Homosexuality.

He however disagrees with deleting clause 9(1) which penalizes persons who hire their premises for homosexual acts and the review of clause 14 which imposes a duty on one to report suspected acts of homosexuality

President Yoweri Museveni and the Parliamentary Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs plus the mover of the bill Asuman Basalirwa held talks yesterday at Entebbe State House on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2023 and agreed to have some revisions before it assented to.  Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa referred the Bill back to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and tasked members to expeditiously process these changes.