President Museveni, while addressing the NRM Caucus at Kyankwanzi, assured Ugandans that his government will stand strong and firm against the threats from Western countries over the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
“I want to encourage you that we shall stand firm and no amount of intimidation or actions will sway us,” said President Museveni.
However, the president revealed to the legislators the need to revise some clauses of the bill on the advice of the World Bank.
“The World Bank employee gave me two issues for which I was going to return the bill: issue number one: requiring employers to make sure that there are no homosexuals in their organizations because doing so will waste people’s time; issue number two: blaming real estate owners for homosexuals renting their properties. If that is there, we shall have to sort it out,” the president noted.
The president further urged legislators to be careful while passing sensitive bills to ensure that they (the leaders) are making all the right decisions.
“That’s why you should be careful on your side and on our side to ensure that we are right, because if you are fighting for what is right, there’s no force that can defeat you,” said President Museveni.
The president hinted at why he returned the bill to parliament before its eventual signing: to express his dissatisfaction with some of the legislators who were not reasonable enough while approving some clauses of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
“The problem that I always get with some of your groups is that they don’t take care to make sure that they are on the right side. That’s why I returned the bill because you could see some illogicalities in it,” said President Museveni.
According to the President, the issue of homosexuality is a serious problem today and a threat to the human race.
The president made these remarks following US President Joe Biden’s quick condemnation of the law as “a tragic violation of universal human rights” and threats to cut aid and investment to the East African country.
The US government also went ahead to put in place visa restrictions on Uganda, starting with revoking the visa of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among on May 12, 2023, for presiding over the passing of the controversial bill.
