Kadaga Blasts West Over Anti-gay Law
Parliament Speaker Rebeca Kadaga
Ugandan Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has lashed out at foreign countries that are reportedly harassing Ugandan diplomats over the recently passed anti-homosexuality bill.
Kadaga, who presided over the Parliamentary session during the passing of the controversial bill on December 20th, tells such countries to back off saying Uganda is a sovereign country and makes its own decisions.
Kadaga made the comments during her address to the Ugandan ambassadors who were appearing before Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. The speaker noted that she had been briefed that some of the ambassadors were being harassed over the recently passed bill, describing the act as bullying.
She wondered why these countries are picking on Uganda citing an example of US PresidentBarrack Obama who tried to talk about homosexuality while in Senegal, but was stopped by that country’s President Mackay Sall.
Kadaga went ahead to attack Richard Branson, British businessman and investor who called for Uganda to be blacklisted by donors over the anti-gay law. Kadaga says Branson has invested heavily in Nigeria where the same law was passed but foreign countries still associate with it.
She added that there are Americans in Saudi Arabia where homosexuality is not allowed but that Americans still live there.
She told the ambassadors not to accept any kind of bullying from countries they are deployed telling them to stand firm and defend the culture and decision of Uganda’s Parliament on homosexuality.
Kadaga also warned on the move by gay rights activists to promote the acts among students in schools by giving them money.
President Museveni is yet to assent to the bill. He recently said he needed time to study the law before taking a decision.
Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, who tried in vain to block the passing of the bill, has also said the law will be discussed in the ruling NRM party caucus.
