MAN CONFESSES TO DAVID KATO MURDER

The primary suspect in the murder of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato has been arrested and claims that he was “coerced” into having sex with him.

According to the Daily Monitor, Nsubuga Enock, who Kato bailed out of jail just days before his murder, has told police that he was convinced to have sex with Kato in exchange for gifts while he stayed at the activist’s home.

“He told us that he killed Kato after he failed to give him a car, a house and money he promised as rewards for having sex with him,” a police source told the newspaper.

Getting tired of Kato’s excuses, “the suspect said he left the bedroom, went to a store and picked a hammer which he used to hit him [Kato] while he was still in bed,” the source said.

Police have strived to distance Kato’s death from his activism and sexuality following claims that he was killed at least in part because of the country’s virulently anti-gay climate.

“He has confessed to the murder. It wasn’t a robbery and it wasn’t because Kato was an activist. It was a personal disagreement but I can’t say more than that,” police spokesman Vincent Ssetake told Reuters.

In a statement, the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Kampala praised the Government of Uganda “for coming out and expressing their commitment to the thorough investigation of this case and to assuring the safety of all Ugandans,” adding that “we hope that the government will be able to follow up on this promise”.

It further urged the Ugandan government to dismiss the pending Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would impose the death penalty in certain cases of convicted homosexuality, “once and for all on the grounds that, if passed into law, it would not only be both unconstitutional and an assault on the rights of all Ugandans, but also a catalyst to homophobia and its dangerous consequences”.