Kampala gay couple missing for three months
By Josephine J. Nakayiwa
28th March 2011:- We thought the public executions which were characteristic of Idi Amin’s tyranny were behind us; the days when Ugandans used to disappear and never to be seen or heard from again.
In place of Amin’s public executions, homophobic attacks have now taken centre stage in the country. Since the brutal murder of David Kato, a Ugandan gay rights activist, life is increasingly getting harder for the gay community in Uganda.
Now a gay couple John Jemba, 32, and his partner Peter Nsubuga, 33, have disappeared. Little is known about their whereabouts. Jemba a resident of Namungoona-Kasubi, went missing two days after Christmas of 2010, following his arrest on allegations unlawful gathering.
A friend who instigated a secret search [for fear of being persecuted] told this newspaper that they have tried to locate the Jemba in vain. “…I have tried to locate him but nothing positive. We fear taking the matter to the police, it will generate more questions and the police was involved during their arrest”, the couple’s friend said.
According to a source who requested not to be named so that he can talk freely, they have searched for Jemba and his partner Nsubuga for more than three months but in vain. “…Suspicious fingers point to his step-brother because he visited Jemba at CPS [Central Police Station]. He was the last person to open the shop [in the new Taxi Park] before heading to the police”, our source said.
Uganda Correspondent could not independently verify the allegations against Jemba’s step-brother. Ever since the brutal murder of David Kato, a gay rights activist who was bludgeoned to death on January 26, 2011, most people are tight lipped about questions relating to homosexuality for fear of being misunderstood to be gay.
Jemba’s step-brother [names withheld] also feigned ignorance. “…I don’t know anything regarding Jemba. His partner is the best person but not me”, he said. When asked why he was referring this reporter to Jemba’s partner Nsubuga, he replied: “…Aren’t they openly known to be lovers?”
As the law stands today, being gay in Uganda is a criminal offence that attracts a lengthy prison sentence upon conviction. Recent news seem to suggest that MP David Bahati’s previously shelved ‘Anti-gay Bill’, which proposes a death penalty for people who repeatedly engage in gay sex, is making it back to parliament; a fact that has raised fresh fears among Ugandan homosexuals.
When asked whether persecution of homosexuals doesn’t amount to discrimination, Police Spokesman Judith Nabakooba said, “…there is no way police can help those people because they don’t come to us and report cases of persecution to us. We just hear about it from newspapers…apart from Kato’s case, we don’t have such reports. That is where police find it difficult to help. We don’t just act on rumours. Let them come and report to police”.
While attending the consecration of Rev. Canon Patrick Gidudu as the seventh Bishop of Mbale Diocese on August 17th 2008, President Museveni also appeared to lend weight to the anti-gay movement in Uganda. “…I salute the Archbishop and Bishops of Africa for resisting disorientation and a decadent culture”, Museveni said.
It is also worth noting that while the government is often quick to crash and disperse opposition demonstrations with teargas and the ‘Kiboko Squad’ that is linked to Kayihura’s Police, it has also turned a blind eye to anti-homosexuality demonstrations. END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
