KAMPALA, Uganda – Amnesty International has called on the World Bank to use its renewed financial engagement with Uganda to press President Yoweri Museveni’s government to repeal its controversial anti-homosexuality law, which has been condemned globally for its harsh penalties.
The rights group made the remarks after a Ugandan finance ministry official announced on Monday that the country would receive $2 billion in World Bank funding over three financial years, marking the end of a freeze imposed last year in protest against the law.
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed by Museveni in May 2023, is one of the most punitive anti-LGBTQ laws in the world.
It prescribes life imprisonment for same-sex relations and allows the death penalty in cases of “aggravated homosexuality.”
Following the law’s enactment, the World Bank halted new loans to Uganda, saying its projects must comply with non-discrimination standards.
Roland Ebole, Amnesty International’s researcher for Uganda and Tanzania, told AFP that the funding resumption gives the Bank a chance to take a stronger stance against rights abuses.
“Now that they are reinstating the funding, can they also push that discriminatory practices should be stopped?” Ebole said. “The World Bank is powerful enough to ensure that no government programmes discriminate against the LGBTQI community.”
While Amnesty said it does not advocate for conditions on aid, Ebole noted that the Bank’s influence could be critical in ensuring inclusivity in Uganda’s governance and development programmes.
The World Bank has yet to comment on the funding announcement. In June, it said it was resuming lending to Uganda, emphasizing that it “cannot deliver on its mission to end poverty and boost shared prosperity unless all people can participate in, and benefit from, the projects we finance.”
But some advocacy groups have criticized the move. A spokesperson for Open for Business, a UK-based coalition promoting economic inclusion, said the group was “disappointed” by the decision, noting that it contradicts the appeals of civil society organizations.
Open for Business estimated last year that Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law cost the country between $586 million and $2.4 billion annually through frozen aid and reduced investment.
Uganda has faced widespread condemnation from Western governments and human rights organizations over the legislation, while Museveni’s administration has defended it as a reflection of “cultural values.”
