EMBAR

Author:
Geoffrey Wanyonyi , Kenneth O. Nyangenaand ,Joseph Ndarira
PhD Student, Laikipia University, Kenya

DOI: doi.org/10.58924/rjhss.v5.iss2.p5

Published Date: 28-Apr, 2026

Keywords: Homosexuality, Uganda, YoweriMuseveni, African values, politics, authoritarianism, LGBTQ+, nationalism, human rights, governance

Abstract:
This paper examines the politicization of homosexuality in Uganda under President YoweriMuseveni, interrogating whether the state’s anti-homosexuality stance genuinely reflects an effort to preserve African cultural values or functions primarily as a political strategy for regime survival and legitimacy. Drawing upon historical, political, legal, and human rights perspectives, the study traces the evolution of Uganda’s anti-homosexuality discourse from the colonial era to the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023. The paper argues that while the Ugandan government frames homosexuality as a foreign threat to African morality, religion, and family structures, the politicization of sexuality has increasingly served as a mechanism for diverting public attention from governance failures, economic challenges, corruption, democratic decline, and growing political opposition. The study further demonstrates how Museveni’s regime has strategically employed anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric to consolidate conservative support, strengthen nationalist sentiments, and portray itself as a defender of African sovereignty against alleged Western cultural imperialism. At the same time, the paper reveals the paradoxical influence of foreign conservative evangelical groups, particularly from the United States, in shaping Uganda’s contemporary anti-homosexuality campaigns. Through an analysis of constitutional provisions, penal laws, parliamentary debates, and international reactions, the paper highlights the intersection between sexuality, state power, religion, nationalism, and authoritarian governance in Uganda. The findings indicate that homosexuality has become a political scapegoat within Uganda’s broader governance framework, enabling the state to manufacture moral panic while legitimizing repression and restricting civil liberties. The paper concludes that the politics of homosexuality in Uganda extends beyond cultural preservation and instead reflects a calculated political project aimed at maintaining regime authority and controlling public discourse. In doing so, the study contributes to broader debates on sexuality, post-colonial identity, human rights, and statecraft in contemporary Africa.

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