By:KATONGOLE ARNOLD
Uganda continues to suffer more from the policy makers in the western world for believing and standing to defend her culture from alien cultures that many parts of the western world consider normal. The enactment of the Anti-homosexuality Act in to law after being assented to by Ugandan president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni amidst western world and US warnings saw the engine started for all these funds adversities and sanctions.
The Ugandan government came to pass the Anti-homosexuality Act into law in May 2023.The genesis for this law started when the Hon. Asuman Basalirwa Mp of Bugiri municipality moved the motion on the floor of parliament. In the Memorandum of the bill dated 3,March 2023, the main principle and objective of the bill was to establish a comprehensive and enhanced legislation to protect the traditional family, youth and children, nature and culture
The law was to achieve this through punishments like five years or 10million fine for not reporting homosexuality acts committed against a child, imprisonment for conviction on charges of aggravated homosexuality, two years imprisonment on conviction of attempt to commit homosexuality, onebillion fine for a legal entity convicted of promoting homosexuality, 10 years imprisonment for recruitment of a child into homosexuality , three years imprisonment for children involved in homosexuality. All punishments were stressing not until the clause of life imprisonment for homosexuality and death penalty for aggravated homosexuality.
This was considered as violation of human rights and gender discrimination from the Ugandan government. The EU parliament was among the initial bodies that vowed to cut aid from Uganda if they went ahead to enact this into law, followed by other countries and like USA, Canada, Denmark , Sweden, plus bodies like UNAIDS, USAID , and now the world Bank. Which has clearly released a statement that curtails funding to the Ugandan government.
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The world Bank, through her official website worldbank.org and from its headquarters in Washington the statement says “Uganda’s Anti-homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the world Bank Group core values . We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of their race, gender and sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of work around the world.”
The world Bank affirms that they came to a decision after receiving a report by their team sent to Uganda in the after-math of passing the law to establish the effects of the law to their values and findings that the law was not a fair and considerate law . The global money giant says there will not be any new public financing to Uganda presented to its Board of Executives Directors until efficacy of the additional measures has been tested. The Bank confirms that they are in discussion with the authorities in Uganda as they have a longstanding obligation to Uganda.
The Ugandan government acknowledges the statement but they are yet to give their official position on the matter. The world Bank has been a major benefactor to many projects in Uganda more so towards elevating social service delivery and improved infrastructure development including schools, hospitals, roads, water sources ,public toilets and washrooms ,markets and more others, the pondering question arises to citizenry on how these projects continue and what’s the government’s move to restore their relationship with world bank without bending the laws.
