Support in Parliament

Women MPs in support of the Anti-gay Bill

ISAAC IMAKA

Kampala

Efforts by  Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to persuade women MPs to denounce the Anti-homosexuality Bill hit a dead end as the legislators vowed to ensure that it is passed.

While addressing a press conference on Friday, Uganda Women Parliamentarians’ (Uwopa) chairperson Jane Alisemera (Bundibugyo, NRM) told journalists that they have been approached by several civil society organisations asking them to denounce the Bill.

“These people have been sending us phone messages, writing to us letters telling us to denounce the Bill but we are in support of the Bill because in this country we cherish families and children,” she said. The Bill which was tabled by David Bahati (Ndorwa, NRM) last month, is currently before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee.

In one of the communiqués from the CSOs to Uwopa, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen, they (CSOs) say  the Bill is unconstitutional and anti-human rights. “Hon. Bahati’s Bill covers much more than what its title proclaims. It presents one of the most serious attacks to date on the 1995 Constitution and on the key human rights protections enshrined in the Constitution and this should be rejected,” the communiqué reads.