Museveni to meet MPs over anti-gay Bill on Tuesday
President Museveni. Photo | Courtesy
What you need to know:
- Since its passing, the Bill has attracted condemnation from rights activists and the West with the European Union parliamentarians voting last week to pressure President Museveni not to approve the anti-LGBTQ Bill.
President Museveni is scheduled to meet MPs on the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to further deliberate on the final provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 before his assent.
According to government chief whip Hamson Dennis Obua, the meeting is likely to be at State House Entebbe or Nakasero State Lodge in Kampala.
“In that meeting, consensus will be generated,” he noted of the gathering which will be follow up of the ruling party resolution to send back the anti-gay bill to parliament for improvement.
The decision was reached last Thursday during the NRM party parliamentary caucus summoned and chaired by President Museveni in Kampala.
At the event, MPs and party chairperson President Museveni agreed to cater for rehabilitation of persons unwillingly recruited into same-sex practices, especially children.
On Monday, Obua told Monitor that the Bill would be unanimously supported and also insisted that no major changes will be made to the legislation passed by Parliament on March 21.
"The reinforcement of the Bill is to strengthen it further and it is in the best interest of the people and the citizens of Uganda,” he highlighted.
The thorny legislation was unanimously adopted in a plenary session steered by Speaker Anita Among. Prior to the passing the Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa had expeditiously processed the legislation and was eventually tabled, processed at the committee stage and later passed by House with the reasoning that it would shield Uganda's moral fabric.
Since its passing, the Bill has attracted condemnation from rights activists and the West with the European Union Members of Parliament voting last week to pressure President Museveni not to approve the anti-LGBTQ Bill.
"Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to use all necessary diplomatic, legal and financial means at its disposal to convince the Ugandan President to refrain from signing the Bill passed by Ugandan Parliament; further calls on the EU to make full and effective use of the political dialogue,” the statement read in part.
