The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 in Uganda has been recalled for review by the ruling party, National Resistance Movement (NRM), following its passing into law on March 21st, 2023.
The bill criminalizes any individual who identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, and also bans promotion and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in the same.
The law imposes a death penalty for aggravated homosexuality and life imprisonment for those engaging and promoting the vice.
President Yoweri Museveni had earlier expressed his need for scientific interpretation on why people choose to engage in same-sex relationships, but it is not yet clear if he received the technical consultation.
The NRM Caucus meeting has now resolved that President Museveni cannot assent to the bill with existing gaps, though it remains unclear what these gaps are.
Since the passing of the bill, international human rights organizations and individuals have pressured President Museveni not to assent to the bill due to its violation of human rights.
This is not the first time Uganda has attempted to pass an anti-homosexuality law. In 2013, parliament approved the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was later declared illegal by the Constitutional Court due to a lack of requisite quorum. LGBTQ+ rights activists and senior journalists have vowed to seek legal redress should the current bill be signed into law
