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The chairperson of Uganda’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Stephen Tashobya (pictured) has signalled that parliament may consider whether to re-introduce the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009 for debate.
He has set September 7, 2011 as the proposed date for parliament’s Business Committee to discuss topics to be brought before the august House in the next quarter before breaking off for the Christmas holiday.
The Anti Homosexuality Bill and the HIV/Aids Control Bill 2010 are amongst the bills that expired in the course of the previous parliament which legislators now want to dispose off as a priority.
Ms Rose Najjemba, a legislator said recently that the HIV/Aids Control Bill would be soon re-introduced and Ugandan HIV/Aids and human rights activists opposed to criminalization of HIV spread are lobbying for the bill to drop criminalization clauses, and also include homosexual’s rights to health in the bill.
Parliament’s Speaker, Ms Rebecca Kadaga told an induction workshop for legislators early this year that the two bills were a priority but had expired with the last Parliament.
Mr Tashobya told Behind the Mask on Wednesday this week in Kampala that Parliament was currently engrossed in looking at Ministry budgets, but would resume ordinary business in two weeks.
He said although cabinet had indicated that they had rejected the Anti Homosexuality Bill, “they (Cabinet) have no such powers because the bill is now property of Ugandan parliament because it is a Private Members Bill. In two weeks we shall have a business committee meeting to discuss priority business for the house to pursue.”
Questioned closely, Mr Tashobya would however not confirm or deny that the so-called “Kill the Gays-Bill” would be on the priority list.
Mr Tashobya, who headed the committee that gathered public views on the bill including gay activists and advocates from the Uganda Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law, previously said in a report of his committee to parliament that the bill would pass and the death penalty was to be retained.
“The committee’s report takes out the words “death penalty,” but then substitutes that with a reference to aggravated defilement, which is an act punishable by the death penalty under Section 129. So basically the death penalty stays in,” said an activist (name withheld) who analysed the report.
The same activist also explained, “Also, language such as ‘conspiracy’ and ‘attempted homosexuality’ were removed by the committee recommendations (if they are followed), but section 13 on Promotion of Homosexuality is retained. So communication, advocacy, funding, etc., of homosexuality still carries a minimum five years in prison. This section would cover most situations covered by the other ones that were taken out.”
Local activists are keenly following the developments and want parliament to drop the bill with its implications on the human rights of homosexuals in Uganda. Mr David Bahati, the original instigator, insists the bill must pass to “preserve the heterosexual family in Uganda.”
Meanwhile, human rights observers have suggested that Mr Bahati is intending to by-pass the requirement of obtaining a Certificate of Financial Implications, a must have document to re-introduce his bill in parliament by arguing that there are already institutions in the country, including the Police, Directorate of Public Prosecution, Prisons and the Hang Man to implement the Bill when it is passed into law.
This would weaken the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure that require a private bill to first acquire the certificate from the Ministry of Finance indicating how much government can spend if a bill is passed.
Observers also note that there are precedents where parliament moves to continue with business from a previous parliament, without necessarily going through fresh procedures for reintroducing a bill.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 at 10:15 am and is filed under Breaking News, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights Monitor, Uganda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
why would people not learn from History. They are probably funded by the American fundamentalists, who need some prove of spending to keep money coming in for them. Africa goes for what has failed everywhere,(tokunbo mentality) no wonder we are backward.
Let all people come out to total defeat this bill