President Yoweri Museveni has stated that there is need for a medical opinion on acts of homosexuality.
During his address to Parliament on Thursday afternoon at at Kololo Independence grounds, the President questioned whether the acts are an abnormal situation or have been nurtured in people. The president said this topic needs a specific time to be thoroughly discussed.
“The homosexuals are deviations from the normal. Why? Is it by nature or by nurture? We need to answer these questions. We need a medical opinion on that.We shall discuss it thoroughly.” Museveni
However, the President was quick to say that the Western world is meddling in African affairs by imposing such practices that are considered ‘unnatural’ here. He stated African nations have neither sanctioned nor criticized some acts practiced by European countries. The President cited those that marry relatives.
“The Western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by imposing practices on others. The Europeans marry relatives , their cousins, here it is a taboo. Should we impose sanctions on them?”
He added: “The Western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by trying to impose their practices on other people.”
“Europeans and other groups marry cousins and near relatives, here to marry within a clan is taboo…should we impose sanctions on them for marrying relations? So, we should put sanctions on people who are marrying their cousins in other parts of the world? This is not our job, if they are marrying their cousins that is their problem.”
The President also noted that sex is confidential matter regardless of how it is done.
“Even heterosexuality, even the heterosexuals, they do it confidentially, otherwise how do we come to know that you are a homosexual unless you publicize it? We shall discuss all this,” the President assured the MPs.
The President has recently disregarded homosexuality as an abnormal behaviour that should not be accepted in Uganda.
“We have been telling them, please, this problem of homosexuality is not something that you should normalize and celebrate,” Museveni then said. “They don’t listen, they don’t respect other people’s views and they want to turn the abnormal into normal and force it on others. We shall not agree.”
His latest statement comes as the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee is scrutinizing a new Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 recently tabled before the House by Bugiri Municipality MP, Asuman Basalirwa.
In his Bill, Basalirwa emphasized the need to improve the Penal Code Act, which was enacted by British colonialists to prohibit recruitment, promotion, and funding of same-sex practices because the vice threatens the continuity of the family and the safety of children. This is the second attempt by Uganda to have a stand-alone legislation against homosexuality.
On December 20th, 2013, parliament passed the first Anti Homosexuality Bill that was tabled by Ndorwa East MP, David Bahati and assented to by President Yoweri Museveni on February 24th February 2014. However, the Constitutional Court annulled the law on August 1st, 2014, on grounds that it had been passed without the requisite quorum.
According to the United Nations (UN), Uganda is among the 77 countries across the globe that criminalize homosexuality practices.
