Tensions Rise as UK Bars Ugandan Speaker Amidst LGBTQ+ Rights Controversy

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The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has been denied a visa to the United Kingdom, according to Ug Bullet In (News Website).

Speaker Among was invited to the House of Commons for the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth, which ended on Sunday, March 11, 2024. She was meant to defend the Anti-Homosexual law recently passed in Uganda.

Joseph Sabiti, the principal press secretary to the Speaker, confirmed the invitation and noted that the Speaker would attend.

“The invite indicates that the Speakers will come together to give speeches and vote on a special communique to mark 75 years of the Commonwealth. The Speaker opines that, unlike the UK that boycotted CSPOC, she will honor the invite and use that platform to defend the Anti-Homosexuality Law which serves Ugandan interests,” Sabiti said in a post on X.

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However, this website has separately learned that Among was denied the visa to the UK.

A group photo posted by the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, showed that Among was not present.

“The Commonwealth Speakers’ Summit brought together many Speakers, High Commissioners, and representatives from across the Commonwealth to the House of Commons to mark the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth’s inception,” Hoyle said of the photo.

Protest

In January this year, exiled Ugandan writer, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija wrote to the UK High Commission in Kampala protesting the issuance of a visa to Speaker Among.

Addressing Among as a violator of human rights, Kakwenza told the UK High Commissioner to Uganda, Kate Airey, that it would be foolhardy for her government to grant the visa to attend the Commonwealth anniversary.

“It is indubitable that the named individual has a documented mal history of promoting and supporting the anti-homosexuality law in Uganda, which law not only disregards international standards of human rights law but also poses a direct threat to the safety and well-being of the minority LGBTQ+ community in Uganda. The irrational passing of this law, coupled with the speaker’s public statements, does not align with British foreign policy or extraterritorial obligations on the enforcement of human rights globally,” Kakwenza wrote in his January 27, 2024 protest, which was received by the UK High Commission in Kampala two days later.

Kakwenza told the UK High Commission that in 2014, the then-speaker, Rebecca Kadaga’s invitation was canceled under almost similar circumstances, adding that National Unity Platform president, Robert Kyagulanyi, was also banned from the UK for 10 years in line with the same.

“In light of the above, I strongly urge you to reconsider the issuing of a visa to the Speaker, as her presence in the UK may compromise the values of integrity, human rights, and inclusivity that the UK government upholds. That would send a clear message that the UK stands firmly against individuals who endorse discriminatory laws and practices. I appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that the UK will continue to champion the cause of human rights and equality on the global stage,” Kakwenza wrote.

Therefore, it is suspected that Among’s absence at the meeting was due to the protest by Kakwenza, which saw the Speaker denied a visa by the UK government.

Story Source: Ug bullet In

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