LGBTI ACTIVIST’S HOUSE TORCHED

Najib Kabuye, an Ugandan LGBTI activist, narrowly escaped death when his house was recently set alight – while he was trapped inside.

Behind the Mask reports that police are investigating the incident which took place in the early hours of the 3rd of July in Kampala.

“They wanted me to die in pain and agony. I do not know why,” Kabuye told the website.

He said that on the day of the attack he was approached by a group of young people who berated him for receiving foreign grants to “promote homosexuality”.

“Then, they also told me that I should not expect mercy in the near future,” Kabuye added.

That night his house was set alight and almost completely destroyed. Kabuye said that it was thanks to neighbours who broke the padlocks on his doors that he was able to escape the blaze.

Placards calling for an end to homosexuality were apparently found near the scene.

Uganda is a hot-bed of anti-gay sentiment. Tabloids have outed gay people and called for their murder and the country’s parliament recently considered the widely-condemned Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

In January, David Kato, another Ugandan LGBTI activist, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in his home. It remains unclear if his murder was tied to his activism and/or sexuality.