Uganda’s leading higher learning institution, Makerere University in Kampala, has been rocked by anti-gay violence amid calls from some students for the institution to denounce and target LGBTQ+ people.
According to local media reports, two students perceived to be gay were attacked by fellow students on 13 October. Police intervened to disperse the violent crowd, and reports indicate that officers fired shots during the confrontation.
The incident sparked outrage among homophobic students from the university’s Mitchell Hall residence, who wrote to the institution’s leadership demanding an official stance against homosexuality.
Students Demand Anti-LGBTQ+ Position
In a 20 October letter to Vice-Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe, the students demanded “urgent clarification on Makerere University’s official position regarding the growing habit of ‘male to male relationships’ dubbed gayism.”
They continued: “We are particularly interested in understanding whether it is the role of the university to promote this vice or stand with us in these unprecedented times on such matters.”
The students also condemned “anything or anyone who would like to associate as gay [as] we believe in the God’s plan of man to woman only type of relationships.”
The students further complained about the “unprofessional conduct” of the police, accusing officers of firing live rounds during the clash.
They expressed anger that “the ‘suspects’” they had “identified” were released by the police, questioning: “Is the university being concerned by those who could fall victim to these released suspects?”
University Condemns Violence
In a letter dated 21 October and addressed to all students, the university did not directly respond to the demands but instead condemned the attack on the two victims and promised accountability.
“Violence of any kind is unacceptable and has no place at Makerere University. Every member of the university community deserves to live without fear of violence and harassment,” said the Dean of Students, Dr Winifred Kabumbuli.
She added that the university had launched an investigation into the incident and that “strict disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible in accordance with university rules and regulations.”
A Climate of State-Sanctioned Hate
In August, an all-boys secondary school in Mbarara, in Uganda’s Western Region, was the site of a homophobic riot after four students were accused of engaging in same-sex intimacy. Two of the victims managed to escape, although one was injured and required hospitalisation. The remaining two were rescued by staff members.
These incidents reflect the consequences of decades of anti-LGBTQ+ vitriol and hysteria that have swept across Uganda, culminating in the 2023 enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act — one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
The legislation imposes severe penalties, including life imprisonment for engaging in same-sex relationships, the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality,” and up to 20 years in prison for “promoting” or advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
