Parliament, by an overwhelming majority, enacted the legislation on March 21, setting out a plethora of tougher penalties including death sentence for the worst offences.President Museveni has, however, returned the Bill to the House, asking lawmakers to criminalise only those practicing homosexuality, not those who just identify by the sexual orientation. He also asked them to drop the offence of failure to report homosexuals to authorities.
He proposed that homosexuals who stop the practice should not be penalised but rather rehabilitated.With Parliament yet to consider the President’s recommendations, which they under the Ugandan law are permitted to accept, reject or vary, the US government red-flagged that its support to 1.4 million Ugandans living with HIV/Aids is at stake over the legislation.Majority of these individuals receive life-saving Anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs through $400m (Shs1.4t) annual kitty for Uganda under the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar).Despite President Museveni withholding his signature on the current version of the legislation, and Parliament’s reconsideration of the Bill pending, Pepfar in a signal of its intended action, announced indefinite deferral of the Uganda Country Operational Plan 2023 (COP23) final presentation meeting initially set for tomorrow.The decision was taken, according to Dr John Nkengasong, the US Global Aids coordinator, “in light of the potential signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA).”The meeting was meant to conclude on Pepfar Uganda’s investment priority for the next financial year.