Self proclaimed anti-homosexuality activist, Pastor Solomon Male has said there is no need to enact a new legislation to outlaw on homosexuality in Uganda, because there are already laws in place to deal with the vice, warning that the new law will only work towards recognizing homosexuals in Uganda.
Male who claimed to head the national Coalition Against Homosexuality in Uganda, made the remarks while appearing before Parliament’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to submit his views on The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023.
“Because it is premised on lies, there are already better laws in the penal code and it is intended to climax into the legalization of homosexuality. Some people who are peddling this law are doing so just because they are populists and they are also hypocrites because they don’t want to look at what the law says,” he said.
Male didn’t spare the media describing them as reactive and isn’t interested in investigating cases of homosexuality in Uganda, saying the media has failed to guide masses on what is necessary adding, “The bill itself is driven by populism, opportunism and hypocrisy and it is accepted by the masses because of ignorance. But there are better laws in the penal code if only they can be enforced. It breaches the constitution and it is a trap intended to culminate into legalization of homosexuality.”
Male said that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 when put against the human rights sieve, will fail because the constitution gives the homosexuals a right to privacy and non-discrimination.
“It is very dangerous to come up with a law that defines characters and specific group, under human rights, you are targeting that group no matter. This law is actually giving the homosexuals an opportunity to be labeled as people who exist because our laws have always denied that there are no homosexuals,” said Male.
He cited a case in court where two men were arrested and charged with practicing homosexuality, but the case was dropped by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) after they accused Police of invading their privacy during arrest, which argument was upheld by court leading to the award of compensation to a tune of Shs13M.
Male wondered how Parliament thinks the new prescribing a 10year jail sentence will be enforced, yet the penal code that prescribes the life imprisonment will be enforced, and instead called for the empowering of the Police, DPP and Judiciary to fight homosexuality other than enacting a new l;aw.
“If the tough law has failed, you have failed with guns now you have come with sticks, proposing 10years and you think and you say you are serious about fighting homosexuality. I just regard you as a joker, probably, there is something else that you want not sorting the problem,” said Male.
Another church leader, Martin Sempa described homosexuality as an infection that needs to dealt with by establishing a new Ministry of Family and Marriage to oversee family and marriage in Uganda.
“We like to major in the minority. Homosexuality is an infection on the life of the family. But we don’t have a law in place that is building marriage, family life in Uganda. And one thing I would like to ask, we should have a cabinet minister of marriage and family in Uganda whose purpose is to build the welfare of people entering into marriage,” he said.
