Journalist and political analyst, Andrew Mwenda, has threatened to move the Constitutional Court to challenge the recently approved Anti-Homosexuality Bill, should President Yoweri Museveni consent to it.
Mwenda reiterated the bill is not only redundant but also ‘stupid’ in many ways saying that it is impossible for the state to regulate morality as the new bill seeks to do.
“If Museveni signs this Anti-Homosexuality law, I promise you, I Andrew Mwenda, I will go to the constitutional court to challenge it,” Mwenda said.
He justified the argument that: “If I sit in the privacy of my bedroom with a fellow man who is also consenting, it means that the two of us will be consenting. Why do you want to criminalise that?”
Following a successful petition that resulted in the law’s nullification in 2014 due to technicalities, the journalist said he will be taking the anti-homosexuality law to court for the second time.
He claimed that the bill would distance Uganda from the westerners, which is likely to have an impact on the nation’s economy as tourists and investors would turn away from Uganda in favour of other nations, like Botswana.
“You are harming the economy over a law whose enforcement will bring very little benefit because, if I was an investor or a tourist from the Western world, I would not come to Uganda because this country would become a threatening place,” he said.
He further questioned how the law would be enforced, claiming that homosexual activities are personal, “bedroom affairs,” which are beyond the reach of the police.
“Even if our morals and beliefs are offended by the practice of homosexuality, are we going to start hiring a religious police force to visit everybody’s bedroom to see who is practicing homosexuality?” Mwenda asked.
After it was passed, the legislation has drawn criticism from a number of organisations, including the White House, European Union, United Nations, and regional human rights organisations.
Also, the Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Anita Among, disclosed yesterday that she received numerous threats prior to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill’s passage, which forced her to turn off her phones hours before the sitting.
Being on the same set as Mwenda, Busiro East lawmaker Mr. Medard Sseggona urged Western and other international partners to continue visiting Uganda while respecting local laws and regulations.
