Ugandan President: MPs should be cautious in attempt to restore anti-gay law
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged MPs to be cautious in their attempts to restore the country’s anti-gay law.
Earlier this month, the country’s Constitutional Court struck down the Anti-Homosexuality Act, finding that Speaker Rebecca Kadaga acted illegally by moving ahead with an initial vote on the law despite at least three lawmakers objecting to a lack of quorum.
However, following the ruling, a group of MPs have scrambled to put the law back in place, and have now gained enough support to change parliamentary regulations and allow it to be re-tabled.
Ugandan newspaper New Vision reports that while speaking to the ruling National Resistance Movement’s parliamentary caucus, President Museveni said of the law: “A country which has no vision punishes a divided house. We need to work together through consensus and use of collective methods.”
Referencing a Luganda saying, he said: “This is now an issue of Semusota guli muntamu (a snake which has entered into a cooking pot). If we try to kill the snake, we may break the pot, if we don’t we won’t.”
Uganda was hit by strong economic sanctions following the introduction of the law, though Museveni has denied that this changed his approach to the law
He claimed last month: “Uganda does not need aid. Uganda is so rich, we should be the ones to give aid.”
After the law was struck down, he denied foreign influence had paid any part, rejecting claims it was due to a meeting with US President Barack Obama.
He said: “I was going to Washington with the bill when it was stopped. It has nothing to do with us going to Washington.
“What has happened to Uganda now? Have you seen any catastrophe? Isn’t the economy growing?”
