President Museveni has dismissed as untrue reports claiming that some homosexuals will face arrest if they seek medical attention.
The reports, now concluded as false, circulated on social media after President Museveni assented to the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
“Therefore, those who say that the homosexuals will be arrested if they go for medical care etc., are wrong,” Museveni clarified on Wednesday while delivering the State of the Nation Address at Kololo in Kampala.
The president said his stand on homosexuality has been repeatedly laid out to all and sundry.
“It starts with a few questions: “Why does somebody become a homosexual? Is it on account of genetic, hormonal or psychological reasons?” Discussions with our doctors and the other African doctors who had a conference with African Members of Parliament from 22 countries, unequivocally, led us to conclude, that homosexuality, is as a result of psychological disorientation at some point in one’s life- not genetic and not hormonal, as some of us initially thought.”
He went on: “This conclusion, gives us a way forward. If somebody is a victim of psychological disorientation, do you criminalise him or her on account of that? Is it logical or fair to do so? The answer is: “No”.”
He said such a person instead needs assistance to, if possible, overcome his psychological disorientation.
He said the law now says that a homosexual will not be criminalised for merely being so, if he/she keeps the being to oneself.
“What, then, does the law fight? It fights this homosexual when he/she goes from merely being and starts recruiting other people who are not psychologically disoriented like him or her to be like him by misinforming or bribing etc. There, he becomes a criminal and, if convicted, goes to prison for a period not exceeding 20 years. If he goes further and rapes a person (child, indigent, etc.), he commits a capital offence and he faces a maximum sentence of death. This is the law I signed.”
He reiterated that if a homosexual keeps his being to himself or confidentially seeks assistance from the doctors or priests, it will not offend this law.
“These are the three substantive points-being, is your personal problem; promoting is criminal and qualifies you for prison; raping qualifies you for a possible death sentence.”
Additionally, the president noted, in Uganda, sex is confidential, even heterosexual sex.
“I have told our MPs, that if there are still some illogicalities in the law, such as forcing employers to know who is a homosexual in the company or landlords to know which tenants are homosexuals, we shall work to amend them and keep the substance.”
“Therefore, doctors and other health providers, should assist those patients who come to them bearing the three substantive points in mind. I will arrange a dedicated broadcast on this issue towards the end of June,” he concluded.