MPs scorn World Bank following loans ban

A section of legislators has vowed not to relent in their stand against homosexuality amidst threats of halting financial support to Uganda by the World Bank over the Anti-homosexuality Act 2023.

Tororo District Woman Representative Sarah Opendi has asked the World Bank to stick to its business of eradicating poverty in the world saying Uganda will not accept to have homosexuality sin to be disguised as a human right.

She made the remarks during a press conference at Parliament in reaction to the decision by World Bank to suspend funding to Uganda, over passing into the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.

“I want to request the World Bank to stick to its core mandate which is providing long-term economic development & eradicating or reducing poverty from countries,” who is a strong supporter of the controversial law said.

“The World Bank didn’t create human beings, God created human beings. God created a man & a woman and gave us clear commandments. We are living by those commandments. We aren’t going to relent and accept sin disguised as a human right,” Opendi added.

Opendi also warned the World Bank against listening to Ugandan gay rights activists. She described them as self-seekers who are looking for greener pastures and once they achieve their objectives, they will abandon homosexuality and return to their ‘normal’ sexual orientation.

“The law that we passed was intended to ensure that sin doesn’t find its way in this country. The Anti-Homosexuality Act is intended to protect the children of this country. We aren’t going to allow the sexualization of our children, sodomizing our children and calling that a human right,” Opendi noted.

Asuman Basalirwa (Bugiri Municipality) accused the World Bank of suspending funding to Uganda without fully understanding the provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

He said contrary to public sentiments, no Ugandan will be arrested for not reporting acts of homosexuality unless those acts are committed against vulnerable groups like children.

“By making that statement, the World Bank, in effect, is expressing a lack of knowledge of that law. Section 14 doesn’t create an offence arising from the failure to disclose acts of homosexuality.

“When you look at the statement by the World Bank, it creates an impression that everybody will have committed an offence if they don’t report acts of homosexuality that is wrong. And that is our problem, either, there is deliberate distortion, misinformation or total ignorance in as far as this law is concerned,” Basalirwa explained.

Basalirwa also denied allegations by the World Bank that some Ugandans may be denied health care due to their sexual orientation. He described this argument as a misconception. He added that no such cases have been reported in Uganda since the coming into force of the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

“In this country, where health rights are concerned, people aren’t asked about their sexual orientation. And if the medical person did it, they would be undermining the Hippocratic Oath,” Basalirwa explained.

“So again, the World Bank makes a very deliberate misconception as far as we are concerned to try and create an impression that when people who are gay or perceived to be gay go to health facilities, they are going to be denied medical care on the count of their sexual orientation. That doesn’t happen, it hasn’t happened anywhere in this country and it will not happen because that in itself is against our laws,” he added.

Nsaba Buturo (Bufumbira East) has asked the government not to negotiate with the World Bank over the passing into law of the Anti-Homosexuality Act. He said such a move would ensure Western power dominance over Uganda and Africa.

President Museveni in his statement following the WB pronouncement to halt funding Uganda projects said that the government had embarked on negotiations with the Bank.

“Anyone who says we are going to negotiate is not serious because they know that it is that dominance that allows them to benefit from our resources & you can’t discuss with someone whose primary intention is to continue exploiting you,” Buturo said.

Buturo also said that despite Uganda receiving loans from World Bank for the last 61 years, there isn’t much to show for those loans, saying the loans have instead hampered the socio-economic growth of Uganda.

“For the last 61 years, Uganda has been receiving aid but in our view, there isn’t much to show for it, and so the excitement and anxiety which many of our citizens have shown as if suggesting that the world is going to end tomorrow because we haven’t been receiving loans, is misplaced. In my view, they (loans) have a negative influence to ensure that we have an economic and social transformation,” Buturo.