Uganda - April 2023

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has refused to sign into law a controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which was returned to Uganda’s parliament for amendment on 20 April. In a letter to Parliament explaining his reasons for returning the Bill, Museveni argued that the law should distinguish between homosexual acts and the promotion of homosexuality (which it should criminalise) and identifying as a homosexual (which it should not criminalise). He also requested that the Bill include a clause providing amnesty and ‘rehabilitation’ for ‘those who have previously been involved in acts of homosexuality’. Commentators have interpreted the letter as an attempt by the President to tone down the legislation, which has been heavily criticised by the international community. In its current form, the Bill would expand the restrictions on the civil liberties of LGBTQIA+ persons and the ability of civil society organisations to work on LGBTQIA+ issues.

Sources: Associated Press News, Ugandan Parliament, Africa Confidential, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch,  Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 (3 March 2023)

In April, three Ugandan ministers were charged with corruption-related offences over their alleged role in the high profile theft of thousands of publicly funded metal roofing sheets intended for impoverished communities in the region of Karamoja. The ‘iron sheets scandal’, as it has become known, is reported to implicate several senior politicians. Mary Goretti Kitutu (Minister for Karamoja Affairs), Amos Lugoloobi (Minister for State Planning), and Agnes Nandutu (State Minister for Karamoja Affairs) are the first ministers to be charged in relation to the scandal. The prosecution of government ministers for corruption is rare in Uganda, despite graft scandals being commonplace. Ugandan anti-corruption activists welcomed the charges but were sceptical about the likelihood of convictions, saying that the authorities lacked the political will to fight corruption.      

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (1), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (2), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (3), The Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation, Voice of America, U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre