Tension as Homosexuals in Uganda are living in great fear of their lives

The coming in to force of the homosexuality act in Uganda has greatly affected the rights of the homosexuals living in the country because it’s now an offence to be a homosexual and as such the homosexuals no longer have a place in the country. The highly publicized law was assented to by the president in 2014 in what was locally described as a great step in preservation of the African culture from being eroded by the western culture and indeed when the European countries tasked the Ugandan president to explain why he signed the seemingly unfair bill in to law, his response was that homosexually is not a Ugandan culture and therefore has no place in the country and that the Europeans should respect African culture and desist from interfering with it since the Africans are not interfering with the western culture as well.

According to the African culture, homosexually is an abomination, un accepted and a mere mention that a person is a homosexual attracts condemnation, isolation, discrimination and some cases violence against the homosexual because they are looked at as a curse to the society and therefore the lives of homosexuals have become so unbearable in the country with constant threats on their lives and as such they live in hiding and constant fear since they are not sure of what can happen to them the next minute.

The hostile culture in Uganda against homosexuality has been made worse by the enactment of the anti-homosexuality law in Uganda which is very harsh and discriminatory to the homosexuals and as a result the homosexuals are in great fear for their lives and some have decided to flee the country for their safety.

According to section 2(2) of the anti-homosexuality act 2014, it is to the effect that a person who commits an offence of homosexuality shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.

Furthermore section 12(1) of the same act provides that a person who purports to contract a marriage with another person of the same sex commits the offence of homosexuality and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.

Such harsh laws and the hostile culture in Uganda against homosexuality has left many homosexuals with no place to live as they are being trailed all the time by the Ugandan police and many have decided to flee the country for their own security.

A case in point is that of a one Joy Wadio, a confessed lesbian and a former student of Makerere University who says she remembers the torture meted on her when the police found her sitting with Annet Kajaza who was her lover, they were arrested and badly tortured for acts which police described as offensive to the laws and customs of Uganda.

Wadio met annet while they were at university and they started dating, and after school they started staying together in their rented house in the Kampala suburbs of Kamwokya but tried to hide it from neighbours because this would attract very severe punishment on them.

Her luck ran out when she went out with her lover to a local bar in February 2015. As they were seated in the bar, police came from nowhere, arrested them and immediately detained them in a police cell under REF:SD.82/07/02/2015 Kampala Metropolitan East where they were greatly tortured and this has not been limited to them but happens all the time to all confessed or suspected lesbians, guys, bisexuals and transgender throughout the country.

Wadio’s escape to freedom

Wadio and her lover were detained in police cells for three days with hardly any thing to eat and when their relatives were contacted, many of them refused to come to their rescue because they feared the repercussions on them and others considered them outcasts not fit to live in the society.

Wadio and annet managed to escape from police and they went different ways, Wadio went to her village to hide but unfortunately she was rearrested and while at police she was quoted saying “after our escape at night, we went separate ways and I don’t know which direction Annet took since it was dark and I have no idea where she is, I went to the village to hide but I was rearrested, I have been tasked to explain where Annet is and all my explanations that I have no idea have fallen on deaf ears”

All homosexuals are now living in great fear of being persecuted due to their sexual orientation.

Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, a renown human rights lawyer says a lot of homosexuals are languishing in prisons and cannot even access lawyers but they are trying to do their best to help them but it’s a big task.