KAMPALA, UGANDA: President Museveni has declined to sign the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 which was passed by parliament last month to combat acts of homosexuality in the country.
The development was announced by Emmanuel Dombo Lumala, the NRM Communications Director following a party caucus held on Thursday, April 20 at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala.
According to a tweet shared by Mr Dombo, one of the resolutions the party agreed on is to send the bill back to Parliament for improvement.
This is the second time the Anti-homosexuality bill is suffering such setbacks since 2014 and it’s not clear if it will ever become law in the country.
Background of the Bill
The bill proposed by Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa among other clauses revised would see anyone engaging in acts of homosexuality facing 20 years in jail and the death penalty for convicts of aggravated homosexuality.
The proposed legislation which was passed last month in a fully packed parliament attracted global condemnation, with the United States National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby saying Washington would “have to take a look” at imposing economic sanctions on Uganda.
International companies operating in Uganda have threatened to leave the country if the bill is signed into law, while European countries have vowed to withhold donor aid should the President assent to it.
The President while addressing the nation recently had promised to convene a meeting with the Ugandan MPs to harmonize the bill and see how best to protect the children from homosexuality.
“Africa should provide the lead to save the world from this degeneration and decadence, which is really very dangerous for humanity. If people of opposite sexes stop appreciating one another, then how will the human race be propagated?” he asked.