Members of the Ugandan
parliament have stated, once again, the intention to pass an anti-gay bill
before Christmas.
Members of religious groups campaigning against homosexuality hold placards during a rally in Kampala, Uganda.
Latif Ssebagala, the MP of Kawempe North
Constituency said that the bill should be considered as a "Christmas gift to
Ugandans".
"What can we do to restart the bill so that we
assure our people that we have never backtracked?" Ssebagala was quoted by
the Daily Nation as saying.
"I have 256 signatures and I have kept them
long enough. I want to lay them on the table
so that they become [the] property of this Parliament.
"The ultimate problem is for us to go [on]
recess without handling this Bill. It is us MPs who did not do our work. Since
we are nearing Christmas and the New Year, we can as well give it as a gift to the people."
The bill was first put forward in 2009 by MP David
Bahati. It originally proposed a death sentence for homosexuals.
The proposed legislation, which was later amended
and condemn gay Ugandans to life imprisonment, was dropped two years later,
after the brutal murder of gay activist David Kato sparked
international outcry.
It was only in August 2014 that Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni signed the bill into law prompting
many countries to condemn its decision to criminalise homosexuality.
Shortly after, however, the law was annulled by the
country's constitutional court on the grounds that the parliament had passed it
without the required quorum.
After a few weeks, the parliament put forward a new
bill which, according to
critics, will punish anybody who supports homosexuality.
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