The United States has threatened to cut aid to Uganda after its MPs passed a bill imposing the death penalty for homosexual acts, as President Museveni crusades against “deviants”.
All but two of Uganda’s 389 MPs voted in favour of the bill on Tuesday, which went further than almost any other country in the world in banning homosexuality, introducing capital and life imprisonment sentences for “aggravated homosexuality” and “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities”.
The law, which Amnesty International noted was “ambiguous” and “vaguely worded”, must be signed off by Museveni who last week railed against “deviants” in the country. He has, however, hinted that he is reluctant to approve the measures for fear of losing western aid. Uganda received $2.5 billion in foreign aid in 2021, according to the World Bank. Its annual budget was $12 billion.
The bill’s passing came amid growing concerns that Uganda was pivoting towards the Kremlin, and as Russia promoted online disinformation in Africa branding gay rights as a western colonial imposition.
“The Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the Ugandan parliament yesterday would undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/Aids,” Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said. “We urge the Ugandan government to strongly reconsider the implementation of this legislation.”
John Kirby, the US national security council spokesman, said: “We would have to take a look at whether or not there might be repercussions that we would have to take, perhaps in an economic way, should this law actually get passed and enacted.” Financial repercussions “would be really unfortunate because so much of the economic assistance that we provide is health assistance”, he added.
Condemnation of the bill in Uganda has been muted. Museveni, 78, has been in power since 1986 and has been moving to stifle free speech in recent years.
Uganda was one of 17 African countries that abstained last year on a vote to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has visited seven African countries this year. He visited Kampala, the Ugandan capital, last July, when Museveni accused the West of a colonial mindset. Speaking to Kremlin media last month Jeje Odongo, Uganda’s foreign minister, said: “The colonisers are asking us to be enemies of Russia, who never colonised us.”
