Uganda Watch: Parliament to Adjourn Until 2013 Without Action on Anti-Homosexuality Bill

According to Parliament spokeswoman Helen Kawesa, Parliament will adjourn today until February 4, 2013. After considering the Accountants Bill, Parliament will begin a Christmas recess with the next scheduled sitting being in the new year. Thus, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill will not have a second reading until at least February of next year.

Today’s order paper is out and lists the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in the section of Business to Follow but today the item slipped to 7th place on the list of matters to be brought before Parliament next year.

12 thoughts on “Uganda Watch: Parliament to Adjourn Until 2013 Without Action on Anti-Homosexuality Bill”

  1. Well, those UG MPs are back from their hols; the Bahati’s ‘murder’ bill (it says “AHB 2009” – i.e. complete with hanging just about anyone who [repeatedly] disagrees with Dodgy Dave) is still lurking on the Notice of Business to Follow … currently at #9.

    During the break, there were a number of interesting ‘developments’, most of which seemed to concern UG politicians and jurists saying what a bad idea the Bill is. That is perhaps encouraging. We’ll see what happens next …

    Meanwhile, that poem again:-

    THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY BILL 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 …

    Here it comes,

    There it goes.

    Round and round and round.

    Now you see it,

    Now you don’t;

    Perhaps it is just sound

    And fury that is meant to be

    Distraction for a people ground

    By war and graft and poverty.

  2. Well, those UG MPs are back from their hols; the Bahati’s ‘murder’ bill (it says “AHB 2009” – i.e. complete with hanging just about anyone who [repeatedly] disagrees with Dodgy Dave) is still lurking on the Notice of Business to Follow … currently at #9.

    During the break, there were a number of interesting ‘developments’, most of which seemed to concern UG politicians and jurists saying what a bad idea the Bill is. That is perhaps encouraging. We’ll see what happens next …

    Meanwhile, that poem again:-

    THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY BILL 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 …

    Here it comes,

    There it goes.

    Round and round and round.

    Now you see it,

    Now you don’t;

    Perhaps it is just sound

    And fury that is meant to be

    Distraction for a people ground

    By war and graft and poverty.

  3. Kadaga’s Kristmas has been Kancelled, it seems.

    Maybe HH did ‘have a word’. He might have said that the extremism of Bahati-Kadaga actually undermines the line on ‘homosexuality’ taken by (relatively) ‘moderate tradtitonalists’ (he’s darn right about that – the Bill has been a complete nightmare for ‘moderate traditionalists’).

  4. Hooray, Ugandans don’t get ‘the Xmas present’ promised to them by Rebecca Kadaga, the usually progressive Speaker of Parliament. The best thing for this bill is for it to get indefinitely stalled. Uganda (where I live) really will not benefit from a public debate on this matter.

    In the mean time, Uganda is actually a beautiful and welcoming country. Her people are incredibly friendly, homosexuality DOES exist (tho mostly hidden) and people are not being victimised on the streets as the hysteria (from people who have never set foot in Africa) would suggest.

    Come and make your own mind up but don’t force the issue; with or without this terrible proposed bill, the majority of Ugandans just don’t ‘get’ homosexuality and nowadays many are anti the idea as an anti-western statement. I’ve campaigned on many political issues and I can tell you, people just think differently here. Ironically, display of same-sex affection is very common (with the assumption you’re straight) – even after 4 years here I do sometimes get surprised seeing middle-aged men walking the streets hand in hand! It can be confusing, that’s for sure.

  5. Did the Accountants Bill 2012 complete its passage today, by the way? Anyone know?

  6. Kadaga’s Kristmas has been Kancelled, it seems.

    Maybe HH did ‘have a word’. He might have said that the extremism of Bahati-Kadaga actually undermines the line on ‘homosexuality’ taken by (relatively) ‘moderate tradtitonalists’ (he’s darn right about that – the Bill has been a complete nightmare for ‘moderate traditionalists’).

  7. Hooray, Ugandans don’t get ‘the Xmas present’ promised to them by Rebecca Kadaga, the usually progressive Speaker of Parliament. The best thing for this bill is for it to get indefinitely stalled. Uganda (where I live) really will not benefit from a public debate on this matter.

    In the mean time, Uganda is actually a beautiful and welcoming country. Her people are incredibly friendly, homosexuality DOES exist (tho mostly hidden) and people are not being victimised on the streets as the hysteria (from people who have never set foot in Africa) would suggest.

    Come and make your own mind up but don’t force the issue; with or without this terrible proposed bill, the majority of Ugandans just don’t ‘get’ homosexuality and nowadays many are anti the idea as an anti-western statement. I’ve campaigned on many political issues and I can tell you, people just think differently here. Ironically, display of same-sex affection is very common (with the assumption you’re straight) – even after 4 years here I do sometimes get surprised seeing middle-aged men walking the streets hand in hand! It can be confusing, that’s for sure.

  8. Merry Christmas, Uganda.

    Could it be the Pope actually talked to Kadaga about the Bill?

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