President Yoweri Museveni has defended his signing of the Anti-
Homosexuality Bill into Law calling on all Ugandans to remain firm as no
amount of intimidation or actions will deter the resolve of the people of
Uganda.
The President stated that Uganda will stand firm, and no amount of
intimidation or actions will sway us. He was flanked by the First Lady Mrs.
Janet Museveni, also the Minister of Education and Sports today at the
NRM Parliamentary Caucus Retreat currently in progress at the National
Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi district.
The retreat in its 5th day of the 10 days of its sitting and is attended by over
400 NRM Caucus members including Independents who are NRM leaning.
Others include the Vice President Rtd. Major Jessica Alupo, the Prime
Minister; Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, the Secretary General of NRM Hon.
Richard Todwong and the leadership of the NRM Secretariat as well as
Cabinet Ministers.
President Museveni urged Ugandans to remain firm pointing out that the
issue of homosexuality is a serious one that concerns the human race. He
commended the Members of Parliament for their support adding that once
they are fighting for the right cause no one can defeat them.
He said that he returned the Bill to Parliament because he had identified
some illogicalities that had to be amended. The President cautioned the
members to always strive for the truth and avoid discussing issues for the
purpose of pleasing this group or that pointing out that even God detests
dishonest people. “If you are fighting for the right cause, there's no force
which can defeat you. But the problem I sometimes get with some of your
groups is that you don’t take care to make sure that you are on the right
side. This is why, I returned the bill last time, because I could see some
illogicalities in it”.
President Museveni said that the issue of homosexuality is a very serious
one that centers around the human race. He said the issue requires a lot of
seriousness when handling it.
The President informed the NRM Caucus that homosexuality was
whispered and rumored about 200 years ago in this part of the world but
was not publicized or promoted; it was considered purely private.
“Homosexuality existed in Buganda, Bunyoro and Karagwe in Tanzania in
the last 200 years with a few people rumored to be homosexuals but there
was no proof. The People were not encouraging it, but also, they were not
fighting it because it was like a hidden, small secret of some few people”.
President Museveni disclosed that when the issue emerged again in 2014,
he tried to study the root causes of the vice to determine the genesis of it
i.e., whether it was genetic, hormonal or hereditary.
“So, when it came up in 2014, this time I tried to study this issue. What is
it? Is homosexuality genetic? Is it inherited by some people? Is it hormonal
i.e., somebody gets an imbalance of hormones and ends up with some
distortion? Etc.
But when we had a long discussion, including a group that was brought by
Sarah Opendi to Entebbe involving many African people; the conclusion
was a No. This is a psychological disorientation by some people at some
stage – it’s not genetic, it’s not hormonal, it is psychological disorientation
where somebody, because of some experience, hates the people you
should love and loves the people you should not love. It’s like a sickness.”
The President said that after thorough analysis with the Parliamentary
Committee on Legal Affairs, three positions were identified which led to the
clarification and amendment of the Homosexuality Bill. “So, if that is the
case, then what do you do? That’s why, therefore, I advised your whips, the
ones I invited, to say, if somebody is psychologically disoriented, you can’t
punish him for that. You can’t criminalize him for that. So that’s why,
therefore, I persuaded your whips who came, to go back to Parliament and
persuade you, that please make it clear that suspicion or merely being
suspected cannot be criminalized, cannot and should not be criminalized
because it is like a sick person. If somebody is sick, do you criminalize him
for that?” He asked.
“Now I am glad when they went back, apparently, they cured this. This was
what was cured and because the Attorney General was there, he captured
it. They did, and they added something saying that for the avoidance of
doubt, mere suspicion will not be a problem. So, then what is the problem?
The problem is that, yes, you are disoriented. You have got a problem to
yourself. Now, don’t try to recruit others. If you try to recruit people into a
disorientation, then we go for you. We punish you. That’s number one.
“But secondly, if you violently grab some children and you rape them and
so on and so forth, we kill you. And that one I totally support, and I will
support”.
If you are suspected of being a homosexual, it is not an offense in itself.
You are a person to be helped on the issue of homosexuality. If you want
help it should be given, because it was said that some of the people can be
helped to get back to normal. But secondly, if you want now to disorient
others, we go for you, we punish you by imprisonment. If you go beyond
that and you start raping children and so on, we kill you. So there, we are,”
he said.
President Museveni however told the NRM Caucus members of the
concern by one of the officials from the World Bank who pointed out two
issues in the current bill, that, if necessary, will be referred back to
Parliament for scrutiny and amendment. He told them that NRM has never
for all these years wanted to find itself on the wrong side of issues.
The two issues raised by the official include; one requiring Employers to
make sure that there are no homosexuals in their company and the second
concern to blame Real Estate owners for houses being rented by
homosexuals. “If that is there, then we should sort it out. So, these are the
two areas which you should check again.
The President said that the NRM has never had two languages. “What we
tell you in the day is what we shall tell you in the night. Therefore, the
signing is finished, nobody will move us,” he said. “The other time when I
met you at Kololo, I said you people should be ready for a war. And you
cannot fight a war when you are a pleasure seeker, if you like a soft life. So,
war is not for soft life,” the President further told the Caucus members.
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