The Director of Communication and Public Affairs of the 11th Parliament of Uganda, Chris Obore, has called upon foreign partners, including the United Kingdom (UK), to respect the sovereignty of Uganda, urging them to avoid the temptation of meddling in the country’s local politics and arm-twisting decision markers to align to their value system, especially on homosexuality.

This was confirmed in a statement released by Obore on April 30, 2024, responding to the sanctions imposed on the Speaker of Parliament by the UK, alleging that she was involved in the theft of iron sheets meant for Karamoja region.

According to Obore, the sanctions are due to charges purportedly faced by Speaker Anita Annet Among and other two former ministers, who were charged in the Anti corruption court.

“Which is a false premise because the speaker has never been charged with corruption in any courts of law, contrary to the insinuation by the UK,” the statement reads in part.

He noted that the iron sheets have been forwarded as the issue to cover up the real, unstated, obvious reason for the sanctions, adding that the speaker’s position on the recently enacted anti-homosexuality act is the real reason for the UK’s imposition of sanctions.

“The truth is that the iron sheets were in fact distributed to public schools, but Andrew Mitchell, who was vocal in condemning the speaker for enacting the bill, did not indicate how exactly the speaker derived personal benefit from the iron sheets,” Obore noted.

This comes after the Speaker of Parliament was subjected to sanctions by the UK over charges of corruption related to the theft of iron sheets intended for the Karamoja region. In a statement issued by the Deputy Foreign Secretary of the UK, Andrew Mitchell, Rt. Hon. Anita Among stole from the poorest communities in Uganda.