President Yoweri Museveni declined to sign the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 and sent it back to parliament, according to Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
While chairing parliament this afternoon, Tayebwa told MPs that the President returned the bill for reconsideration and review of some of its provisions.
“One of the issues the President has with the bill is the lack of a clear distinction between being a homosexual and actually engaging in homosexual activities. He wants the provision clearly articulated in the law,” said Tayebwa.
On Tuesday, Museveni held a meeting with the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee.
“We discussed exhaustively the elements of the Bill. The public will be informed after Parliament discusses it further,” he said.
Parliament passed the bill on March 21, and it only required the president to sign for it to become law.
The bill prescribes the death penalty for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality. Jail terms of up to 20 years are proposed for those who advocate or promote LGBTQ rights.
Under the bill, a suspect convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” can be jailed for 14 years, and the offence of “attempted homosexuality” is punishable by up to 10 years.