KAMPALA— Uganda Police are searching for a one Shafik Mwasa and Harold Mpima and other four in acts of practicing homosexuality and recruiting a hundred others into highly immoral activities.
The police in a statement said Mwasa, who is in hiding, is being sought on allegations of sodomizing and recruiting school-going children into homosexuality.
“Police appeals to anyone who might know about Mwasa’s disappearance to contact the nearby police immediately or call our toll-free number 999/112.”
Police said Mwasa is the ring leader of a criminal group engaging in acts of homosexuality and appealed to the public to provide police with information leading to his arrest and that of other group members.
Uganda’s parliament has since passed sweeping antigay legislation that proposes tough new penalties for same-sex relationships and criminalizes anyone identifying as LGBTQ.
While more than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relationships, the new law passed on Tuesday appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ), Human Rights Watch said.
President Museveni recently described gay people as “deviations.”
Legislators amended significant portions of the original draft law, with all but one speaking against the bill. Supporters of the tough legislation say it is needed to punish a broader array of LGBTQ activities, which they say threaten traditional values in the conservative and religious East African nation.
In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality.
Violations under the law also involve steep penalties, including death for so-called “aggravated” homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex. Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under 18 years old or when a person is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.
In recent months, conspiracy theories accusing shadowy international forces of promoting homosexuality have gained traction on social media in Uganda.
