Ugandan President who believes gays are ‘disgusting’ attends UK Government event

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who believes gay people are “disgusting”, has spoken at an event hosted by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London.

The UK-Uganda Business Forum has taken place at Lancaster House, a Grade I listed building managed by the FCO.

President Museveni yesterday visited the forum along with Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Kutesa, and other senior members of the Ugandan Government.

They met with UK Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Mark Simmonds who also spoke at the event.

Senior executives from several corporations including ING, Investec, and banks JP Morgan and Barclays have participated in the forum.

In December 2012, Barclays said it had raised the issue of Uganda’s anti-gay laws with the country’s government, after coming under pressure from the online social activist group Change.org.

Barclays, Uganda’s third largest bank, has more than 1,000 employees and 51 branches throughout the country.

More than 500,000 signed a petition calling on Citibank and Barclays to condemn Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act.

It was signed into law by President Museveni in February.

The law calls for repeat offenders to be sentenced to 14 years in prison and makes it a criminal offence not to report someone for being gay.

President Museveni defended the legislation by saying that gay people give each other worms through sex.

He also described gay people as “disgusting”.

In April, Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire ruled out imposing a travel ban on Uganda’s politicians who support the country’s anti-gay legislation.

The World Bank, along with Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, all halted aid to the Ugandan Government as a result of the decision of President Museveni.

America threatened to reduce the amount of aid going to Ugandan organisations who have expressed support for the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Last month, International Development Minister Alan Duncan rejected calls to cut foreign aid to countries with anti-gay laws.

The UK Government said that none of its aid goes directly to the Ugandan Government.