Bill to outlaw Homosexuality in Uganda re-tabled

There was excitement on Tuesday at the Ugandan Parliament in Kampala as the notorious Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009 of Ndorwa West MP David Bahati was re-tabled for consideration.The bill proposes that a new offence be created in Uganda named aggravated homosexuality which would be punishable as a capital offence, bringing the death penalty to the guilty party.MPs applauded as the National Resistance Movement MP took to the floor to re-introduce the controversial Bill for reference to the appropriate committee.After re-tabling the Bill, MPs both on the ruling side and the opposition gave Bahati a standing ovation. “Our Bill, our man,” the legislators chanted.The Ugandan Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga committed the Bill to the relevant committee for scrutiny.In 2009, Rwanda’s Minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama refuted reports that Government intended to criminalize homosexual acts saying that sexual orientation is a private matter not a state business.His reaction came after international organizations, including rights groups and gay communities across the world raised an alarm in several reports accusing the government of trying to consider a law against homosexuality.“The government I serve and speak for on certain issues cannot and will not in any way criminalize homosexuality; sexual orientation is a private matter and each individual has his or her own orientation - - this is not a State matter at all,” said Karugarama.

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Bill to outlaw Homosexuality in Uganda re-tabled