The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has told a delegation of United Nations technocrats that Uganda’s priority is feeding the citizens and not sex.
“Our priority is food, water, education, …not sex,” Hon. Rebecca Kadaga said sending the delegates in a frenzy.
The speaker was reacting to queries from the delegates about Parliament’s stand on minority rights, especially rights of lesbians and gay people.
Kadaga is an ardent advocate against the gay community, who in December 2012, vowed to pass the Anti Homosexuality Bill through Parliament.
At one time, she sought to make acts of Homosexuality punishable by death or life imprisonment but later removed the death penalty from the Bill.
The Speaker has previously had a diplomatic row with a Canadian minister over preserving rights of sexual minorities. In 2012, Ms Kadaga told the minister that Uganda was neither a colony nor protectorate of Canada and as such her sovereignty, societal and cultural norms were to be respected.
“This issue you want to bring has broken the Anglican Church. You are bringing an issue that is going to divide us. This matter should not come for discussion. This is not fair, we cannot allow it,” Ms Kadaga told IPU speaker Barroza on Friday
Kagada in March went bare knuckles at the Inter Parliamentary Union conference, accusing the IPU president Gabriela Cuevas Barron for allegedly smuggling the homosexuality motion on the order paper .
Ms Kadaga led a group of Ugandan MPs to attend the138th Assembly taking place at the IPU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
“I opposed the president of the IPU Gabriella Barroza for allegedly smuggling the homosexuality motion on the order paper without the consent of both Asian and African representatives,” Ms Kadaga wrote on her twitter account
The delegation of UN executives arrived in Uganda on Monday to appraise how six of the organization’s agencies are supporting Uganda’s development.
The team is also assessing how far Uganda had gone in implementing Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) and the working relationship between Uganda and the UN.
Reports reaching this website cite UN officials applauding Uganda for hosting refugees especially the efforts that empower refugees to earn income.
This, according to our sources, was in the meeting held on Friday as the UN Delegation shared thoughts with Speaker Kadaga.
“It is true Uganda is doing well in supporting refugees but you need to do more than thanking us. The roads are in poor state because they were not made with the capacity to accommodate heavy UN trucks that supply food,” Hon Rebecca Kadaga said at the meeting.
The 35 members of the executive boards, created in 1993 to replace the Governing Council, visited Imvepi refugee settlement in West Nile, Karamoja Sub-region, Parliament and other designated sites during their five-day visit.
The board members who comprise country representatives, oversee works of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN-Women, and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP representative in Uganda, Ms. Rosa Malango, acknowledged the visit, saying it was a great opportunity to showcase their working partnership with the government of Uganda and other partners to achieve both the national and global development agendas.
On why Uganda was selected by the UN, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Adonia Ayebare emphasized its distinctive position as both a recipient of UN support in development humanitarian aid and the continued huge influx of refugees from neighbouring countries like Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
