Julius Byaruhanga and Michael Opolot have become the first Ugandans to be charged with "aggravated homosexuality," an offense punishable by death under Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act.
While 43-year-old Byaruhanga was arrested in July for allegedly performing sexual intercourse with a boy aged 12, 20-year-old Opolot was arrested a month later on allegations he had relations with a disabled man.
The spirit of Uganda's anti-homosexuality legislation aligns entirely with the country's values and moral fabric — it protects children and others from being recruited into a Western practice. Despite the pressure from imperialist powers, which have wreaked havoc for centuries while seeking to impose their ideologies on indigenous populations, Africa's sovereignty will not be undermined.
It's outrageous that Uganda still promotes the ludicrous notion that homosexuality deviates from human nature, even engaging in un-African, state-sponsored homophobia. Same-sex relationships have long been reported in the continent, debunking the fabricated narrative that homosexuality is a Western import. It is crucial that as many people as possible unify against this oppressive legislation.