Ugandan Lesbian faces deportation from Britain
By Steven Mulindwa
24th January 2011
Pro-gay activists protest at Uganda's London mission
A lesbian whose asylum application has been rejected by the United Kingdom (UK) Home Office is to be deported back to Uganda; a country considered by the West to be hostile to homosexuals.
The UK Border Agency is now holding 29 year old Brenda Namigadde. Brenda Namigadde was among many pro-gay activists who staged a demonstration outside Uganda High Commission at London’s Trafalgar Square in 2009 after the government introduced an Anti-Homosexuality Bill in parliament.
Speaking about her case from the UK Border Agency manned Heathrow immigration detention centre where she being held, Namigadde, said she fears for her life once in Uganda.
A tearful Namigadde said, “…they already know who I am. Photos were taken of me and my colleagues that day. Ugandan government has names of most of them as they have been published in several newspapers in the country”.
Brenda claims that she was in a relationship with Canadian born Janet Hoffman for almost three years while she was in Uganda. She also said many of her lesbian friends have disappeared. “…Several of my lesbian friends who we used to hang out with in the country have not been heard of. It is like they have all vanished in thin air. I don’t know what is going to happen to me once there”, a teary Brenda said.
An official of the UK Boarder Agency who spoke to Uganda Correspondent on condition of anonymity however raised doubt about the credibility of Brenda’s claims.
“…We don’t live in a bubble on a different planet. While I cannot comment on this individual case, we know that there are many opportunists who jump on any bandwagon to claim asylum here. As the law stand today, fear of homophobic attacks is not a valid ground to claim asylum in Britain”, the official said.
The 29 year old Ugandan lesbian was due to be deported on Thursday the 20th January 2011 but survived after a mix-up with her names caused the airline to put off her flight. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
