Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has rejected the newly approved anti-LGBTQ measure. The Head of State has asked that the law be returned to Parliament for additional consideration and potential revision.
The measure, among other things, gives homosexuals the death sentence.
On April 20, 2023, following a gathering of lawmakers from the dominant National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, Museveni announced his choice.
The majority of NRM MPs backed the law, which demanded severe punishments for anyone involved in same-sex behaviour.
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According to a statement, the group sent the bill back to the national assembly "with recommendations for its improvement."
Museveni was not against the penalties outlined in the bill, according to a presidential spokeswoman, but he did want lawmakers to look into "the issue of rehabilitation."
According to a tweet from spokesman Sandor Walusimbi, President Museveni "told the members that he had no problems with regard to the punishments but on the issue of rehabilitating the individuals who have in the past indulged in homosexuality but would like to live normal lives again."
Museveni has 30 days to either ratify the terrible legislation, send it back to the legislature for changes, or exercise his right to veto it and notify the Speaker of Parliament. However, if he sends it back to Parliament again, it can become law without the president's approval.
In Uganda, homosexuality is already prohibited by colonial-era legislation that defines sex practices as "against the order of nature." Life in jail is the penalty for that crime.
The measure calls for life in jail for "homosexuality" and the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality."
The term "aggravated homosexuality" refers to situations in which children, vulnerable individuals, HIV-positive individuals, and other groups are involved in sexual encounters.
For those who support or fight for LGBTQ rights, sentences of up to 20 years in prison have been proposed.
The bill stipulates that the offence of "attempted aggravated homosexuality" carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison and that the lesser offence of "attempted homosexuality" carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Press allegations alleging sodomy in boarding schools, including one renowned for boys where a parent accused a teacher of abusing her son, have made the anti-gay sentiment in Uganda a hot topic in recent weeks.
According to Museveni, his administration is trying to thwart Western attempts to "normalize" what he called "deviations."
