Legislators back call for new anti-gay Bill
By Elizabeth Kamurungi | Monitor
Calls for government to intervene and curb the reported gay activities have yet again thrown the legislative arm of government, at the centre, with proposals for stringent laws to be enacted.
Mr Chris Obore, the director for communication and public affairs at Parliament, said while there are no petitions or ongoing processes to resurrect the contentious law, the legislature is always open to legislate for the needs of the people.
The law can either be introduced by the government or a private member. The public can also initiate the process.
“Any citizen is by law free to petition Parliament to come up with legislation. It’s one of the ways Parliament actually works. After receiving any petitions, Parliament subjects them to internal processes in accordance with the rules of procedure of Parliament,” Mr Obore said.
“It is why Parliament is called the voice of the people. A petition is a voice,” he added.
This followed calls by the Inter-religiouseligious Council of Uganda (IRCU), under the leadership of Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba to have the law against homosexuality returned, after it was annulled by the court in 2014. Read more