By Culton Scovia Nakamya

The United states has expressed concern regarding that Anti homosexuality Act 2023 passed by parliament of Uganda is a violation of human rights.

Anthony Blinken the secretary of state said via social media that the law undermines fundamental human rights of all Ugandans, urging government to reconsider its implementation.

Blinken has warned that implementation of the law could reverse gains in the fight against HIV.

“The Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the Ugandan Parliament yesterday would undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We urge the Ugandan Government to strongly reconsider the implementation of this legislation”. Said Blinken via Twitter.

Statistics from Uganda Aid Commission indicate that 1.4M people live with HIV. 840,000 female adults, 500,000 male adults while 88,000 are children. Only 82% of these are enrolled on ART and 78% have suppressed the virus.

The United states has over the years provided significant health and development assistance to Uganda with a total budget exceeding $950M per year.  This fund caters for among others, anti-retroviral treatment to more than 1.4M Ugandans living with HIV, according to state department.

President Yoweri Museveni has often times warned the western world against meddling with the affairs of the country because Uganda is a sovereign state. However, with threats to reverse gains in the fight against HIV, it remains unclear if the president will stick to his earlier remarks.

The White House national security council spokesperson Adrienne Watson also noted that the act will perpetuate violence against LGBTQI+ persons.

“Human rights are universal, no one should be attacked, imprisoned or killed simply because of who they are or whom they love.”