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Showing posts from October, 2011

Honey moon is over: HIV/AIDS Control Bill is back

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ACTIVIST FLAVIA KYOMUKAMA TRAINING LGBTIS ON HEALTH LOBBYING DURING UHSPA WORKSHOP A motion moved on October 25,2011 to resurrect all bills that were shelved in the 8th Parliament means that the HIV/AIDS Control Bill is coming back and will be read for the first time in the 9th parliament for the first time before christmas break. But we are ready. We have recently been training each other on advanced lobbying What we did in the eighth parliament (flash back) Friends of Uhspa Uganda recently held a party to celebrate the intensive lobbying efforts for the last one year that yielded in the Parliament of Uganda dropping the HIV/AIDS Control Bill 2010, which alienated LGBTI rights to health as a Public Health Right. The Party held at Uhspa office gardens was wow!!. Mr Kikonyogo Kivumbi, the Uhspa Director and Ms Prossy Ssonko, a Board Member and Treassurer thanked the members and partners for the continued partnership to address unfair legislations. Mr. Kikonyogo said the expiry of the HI...

Kill the gays bill is back

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A Ugandan army officer has successfully brought a motion in Parliament which will have the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009 re-tabled, without having to consult Cabinet The officer, Sarah Mpaabwa, an army representative in Parliament said all bills and reports that were shelved in Uganda’s eighth Parliament should be saved and re-tabled for discussion. Uganda’s parliament has 333 MPs and is the only parliament in East Africa that has serving army officers as members. The government insists that army officers add value to parliament and bring stability to the country’s politics. The passing of the motion means that David Bahati, the legislator who tabled the globally infamous “kill the gays” bill will not require Cabinet’s approval to table the anti-homosexual bill again. The Ugandan Cabinet recently said that it had rejected the bill, tabled by as private member’s bill. But Bahati quickly reminded Cabinet that they had no powers over his bill, because it was a property of the Parliament of...

UHSPA leads gay and HIV activists on East African HIV Bill

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Gay rights activists in Uganda have started consultations with HIV/Aids and human rights organisations about the proposed East African Community HIV and Aids Prevention and Management Bill, 2010. The activists have been spurred by the fact that the East African Community Council (EAC) of Legal and Judicial Affairs will be meeting next week to develop opinion on the gay friendly East African HIV/Aids bill and advise their home governments. The meeting taking place in Arusha, Tanzania will be attended by the Attorneys General and Justice Ministers of the five East African Community member countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The outcomes shall set discussions for the EAC Council of Ministers set for the second week of November which will be attended by amongst others Uganda’s Minister for EAC Eriya Kategaya. The ministers will be expected to make executive recommendations to the bill which will be tabled in March 2012. Julius Sabuni, a member of the Eastern African N...