Woman Member of Parliament for Tororo District Hon. Sarah Opendi has suggested that homosexuals should be castrated.

Opendi told Parliament during Tuesday plenary that the life imprisonment sentence suggested by the Bill’s mover Asuman Basalirwa (MP Bugiri Municipality) isn’t adequate.

Opendi says homosexuals may continue with the vice even in prison and they should therefore be castrated.

“Life imprisonment is not adequate because this person may even continue with homosexuality in prison. These people should be castrated,” she said.

Contrary to most of the legislators, MP Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, who presented the minority report, said the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 was uncalled for.

Fox says the Bill creates penal sanctions against a person based on mere appearance and contravenes established international and regional human rights standards.

“The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 contravenes established international and regional human rights standards, it unfairly limits the fundamental of LGBTIQ persons,”he said.

Fox says the Bill denies the LGBTIQ community equal protection under the law.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 was table in Parliament for the second reading today. The Bill, if passed, will see homosexuals face a life jail sentence if found guilty of the offence.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM), through the NRM deputy Secretary-General Rt. Hon. Rose Nsereko Namayanja, has urged farmers to embrace the Parish Development Model in order to boost their productivity.

Namayanja told farmers to embrace PDM at a function where she was installed as the new patron of Balandiza Kirose Kasamba Kajansi Association at Kasuku children center in Kajansi, Wakiso.

“I encourage you to embrace government programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and other poverty alleviation projects to boost your productivity and uplift your livelihoods,” she said.

Namayanja told farmers that the best politics that can unite them is that of development and urged them to educate their children to foster community development.

“The best politics that can bring us together is the politics of development where we don’t segregate anyone. I urge you to focus on educating your children because education is the biggest investment any parent can give to their children which in turn leads to the development of your community,”Namayanja said.

Namayanja was appointed patron Balandiza Kirose Kasamba Kajansi Association following the death of Mathia Kasamba the association’s former patron. The association unites farmers from the cells of Nakawuka and Kasuku parishes in Kajansi.

Namayanja welcomed her new role as the association’s patron and called upon the members to work in unison with her and utilise the available resources to develop themselves.

“I accept to be your patron and I encourage you to be at the forefront in fighting poverty among the livelihoods in your communities. Let us work together by using the available resources to develop economically,”she said.

The NRM deputy Secretary-General added that; There is indeed a scarcity of land in this area but you can do a lot with the small piece of land you have. We are privileged to have two rainy seasons and I urge all farmers to take advantage of the rains and plant crops. As we do farming, let’s focus on the quality of our products so that we take advantage of the available market within Kampala.

Namayanja told farmers to work differently and remain united and pledged that government will continue supporting the farmers’ association by equipping them with new knowledge to enable them acquire new farming skills.

Minister in charge of finance Matia Kasaija has expressed his frustration with the the habit of government borrowing funds to finance its budget.

Kasaija said Tuesday at the launch of the Public Investment Financing Strategy (PIFS) at Sherston Hotel that government should look for alternatives and stop borrowing.

“I am tired of borrowing…We must look for other ways how we can raise funds to develop Uganda other than borrowing,” he said.

Kasaija said PIFS will help government raise funds since borrowing and grants are not sufficient enough to fund government programmes.

“The implementation of this financing strategy is a priority of government. Borrowing and grants are necessary but not sufficient options for funding all government programmes,” he said.

The minister of finance noted that Uganda has an annual financing gap of about 33 trillion shillings, given approximately 49 trillion that is budgeted for annually.

According to Kasaija about 411 trillion is needed to finance all government programmes.

At the end of 2022, Uganda had a debt of about 80 trillion. This was revealed by the Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda, Michael Atingi-Ego.