Since the enactment of a draconian anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda
just over a month ago, donors have been slashing or suspending aid to
the country in protest. Health officials, activists and NGOs warn that
this could have a major impact on healthcare services, particularly for
HIV/AIDS patients.
Project and budget support worth about US$140 million has been suspended
or redirected by the World Bank, US and several European countries,
including Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark, after Ugandan
President Yoweri Museveni signed the act into law on 24 February 2014.
Under the new law, persons found guilty of “homosexual acts” can be
jailed for up to 14 years, and up to a life sentence for “aggravated”
cases, such as those committed by someone who is HIV-positive, or those
involving minors, the disabled and serious offenders.
Publicly, the government has appeared unfazed by the donor cuts, with President Museveni speaking at a “thanksgiving” parade to celebrate the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) organized by religious leaders on 31 March and describing donor cuts at “contemptuous”.
But privately a senior government official told IRIN that the consequences have been “dire.”
“We have a crisis. The government has been forced to review its
priorities and make readjustments as donors have withheld aid,” the
official said. “We are seeing stagnation of social services and public
investments. The civil servants have not been paid their salaries [in
February].”
IRIN looks at what exactly has been cut, and what this means for Uganda.
For details of funding cuts go here: Who’s cut what funding?
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