David Bahati

Last updated

David Bahati
Bahati David.jpg
Born
Ndorwa, Kabale District, Uganda
NationalityUgandan
Alma mater Makerere University
(Bachelor of Commerce)
Cardiff University
(Master of Business Administration)
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
(Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountant)
Occupation(s)Accountant and politician
Years active1996 – present
TitleMinister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry)
Cabinet of Uganda

David Bahati is a Ugandan accountant and politician. He is the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry) in the Cabinet of Uganda. He was appointed to that position in a cabinet reshuffle on 9 June 2021. He was previously the Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Planning) [1] replacing Matia Kasaija. [2] He is a member of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ruling party and is the Chairperson NRM Kabale District. He is a Member of Parliament for Ndorwa County West Constituency, Kabale District, in the Parliament of Uganda. [3] He is chief of the Scout Board of Uganda. He is the Chairperson of the Uganda National Prayer Breakfast Fellowship. [4]

Contents

Education

Bahati is a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA). He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Cardiff University, an executive certificate in strategic management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an executive certificate in campaign leadership from the Leadership Institute, and a diploma in business English from the Manchester Business School. [3] Carl Cooper, former bishop of St. Davids, said, "It was wonderful to discover that the local MP, Mr David Bahati, also had a Master's degree from the University of Wales and had spent time studying in Cardiff. Wales’ influence often stretches further than we realise." [5] [6] Before entering politics, Bahati was head of finance and administration at Uganda's Population Secretariat.[ citation needed ]

Introduction of Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Bahati came to international attention in October 2009 after introducing the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill as a Private Member's Bill on 13 October proposing that a new offence be created in Uganda named "aggravated homosexuality" which would be punishable as a capital offence. [7] The proposals included plans to introduce the death penalty for gay adults who had sex with those of the same sex under 18, with disabled people, or when the accused party is HIV-positive, [8] or for those previously convicted of homosexuality-related offences. Journalist and gay rights activist Jeff Sharlet (winner of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's Outspoken Award) claims that in a private conversation Bahati expressed a desire to "kill every last gay person." [9]

Sharlet suggested that the bill came about as a result of Bahati's membership in the Christian group The Family. [10] He revealed that Bahati reportedly first floated the idea of the bill (which at that time included the death penalty for homosexual assaults on minors, disabled people, or by knowingly HIV positive men) during The Family's Uganda National Prayer Breakfast in 2008. [11] Bob Hunter, a member of The Family, gave an interview to NPR in December 2009 in which he acknowledged Bahati's connection but argued that no American associates support the bill. [12] After news of the gay execution law broke, Bahati was disinvited from the 2010 U.S. National Prayer Breakfast. [11]

Bahati was interviewed by Rachel Maddow in December 2010. Bahati asserted that $15 million had been invested in Uganda to recruit children. [13] When pressed by Maddow for "recruitment" tactics, he stated that "They go to a school, teach them, entice them with money, to lure them into this practice". Bahati asserted that videos are being circulated in Uganda that state that "a man sleeping with a man is okay," which were being used for "recruitment". Maddow challenged this assertion, stating that "recruitment of children by gays is a common myth in any and all countries that have debated laws like that proposed in Uganda." [11] Bahati made clear in the interview that the law he is proposing will go through the democratic process of Uganda and be debated upon. In addition to this, Bahati believes that America should respect its sovereignty as well as the fact that Ugandan law will have jurisdiction on Ugandans only. [14]

On 20 December 2013, the Parliament of Uganda passed the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 with the death penalty proposal dropped in favour of life in prison. [15]

The bill was signed into law by the President of Uganda on 24 February 2014. [16] [17] On 1 August 2014, however, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the Act invalid on procedural grounds. [18] [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Research Council</span> American evangelical activist group

The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against access to pornography, embryonic stem-cell research, abortion, divorce, and LGBT rights—such as anti-discrimination laws, same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions, and LGBT adoption. The FRC has been criticized by media sources and professional organizations such as the American Sociological Association for using "anti-gay pseudoscience" to falsely conflate homosexuality and pedophilia, and to falsely claim that the children of same-sex parents suffer from more mental health problems.

The Fellowship, also known as The Family, is a U.S.-based nonprofit religious and political organization founded in April 1935 by Abraham Vereide. The stated purpose of The Fellowship is to provide a fellowship forum where decision makers can attend Bible studies, attend prayer meetings, worship God, experience spiritual affirmation and receive support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kabale District</span> District in Western Region, Uganda

Kabale District is a district in the Western Region of Uganda. Kabale hosts the district headquarters. It was originally part of Kigezi District, before the districts of Rukungiri, Kanungu, Kisoro, Rubanda and Rukiga were excised to form separate districts. Kabale is sometimes nicknamed "Kastone" as in the local language Rukiga, a "kabale" is a small stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Uganda</span>

Human rights in Uganda have trended for the past decades towards increasing harassment of the opposition, cracking down on NGOs which work on election and term limits, corruption, land rights, environmental issues, womens, children and gay rights. In 2012, the Relief Web sponsored Humanitarian Profile – 2012 said Uganda made considerable developments Since at least 2013 the Freedom in the World report by Freedom House has identified Uganda as a country considered to be "Not Free".There are several areas of concern when it comes to human rights in Uganda, and the "Not Free" classification is due to both low political rights and civil liberties rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Walberg</span> American politician (born 1951)

Timothy Lee Walberg is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2011, representing the state's 5th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 7th district from 2007 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2023. As the longest tenured member from Michigan, Walberg is the current Dean of its delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Uganda</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Uganda face severe legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal for both men and women in Uganda. It was originally criminalised by British colonial laws introduced when Uganda became a British protectorate, and these laws have been retained since the country gained its independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Africa</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are generally poor in comparison to the Americas, Western Europe, and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Lively</span> American activist, author, and attorney (born 1957)

Scott Douglas Lively is an American activist, author, and attorney, who is the president of Abiding Truth Ministries, an anti-LGBT group based in Temecula, California. He was also a cofounder of Latvia-based group Watchmen on the Walls, state director of the California branch of the American Family Association, and a spokesman for the Oregon Citizens Alliance. He unsuccessfully attempted to be elected as the governor of Massachusetts in both 2014 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodomy law</span> Laws criminalising certain sexual acts

A sodomy law is a law that defines certain sexual acts as crimes. The precise sexual acts meant by the term sodomy are rarely spelled out in the law, but are typically understood and defined by many courts and jurisdictions to include any or all forms of sexual acts that are illegal, illicit, unlawful, unnatural and immoral. Sodomy typically includes anal sex, oral sex, manual sex, and bestiality. In practice, sodomy laws have rarely been enforced to target against sexual activities between individuals of the opposite sex, and have mostly been used to target against sexual activities between individuals of the same sex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014</span> Ugandan law

The Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 was an act passed by the Parliament of Uganda on 20 December 2013, which prohibited sexual relations between persons of the same sex. The act was previously called the "Kill the Gays bill" in the western mainstream media due to death penalty clauses proposed in the original version, but the penalty was later amended to life imprisonment. The bill was signed into law by the President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni on 24 February 2014. On 1 August 2014, however, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the act invalid on procedural grounds.

Martin Ssempa is a Ugandan charismatic pastor, activist, and the founder of the Makerere Community Church. He referred to himself as Pastor Doctor Martin Ssempa, but now calls himself Gabriel Baaba Gwanga'mujje Eri Yesu. Ssempa first came to international prominence in 2010, after a presentation video he made at his church, which showcased his opposition to homosexuality, went viral.

<i>The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power</i> Book by Jeff Sharlet

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power is a 2008 book by American journalist Jeff Sharlet. The book investigates the political power of The Family or The Fellowship, a secretive fundamentalist Christian association led by Douglas Coe. Sharlet has said that the organization fetishizes power by comparing Jesus to "Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Bin Laden" as examples of leaders who change the world through the strength of the covenants they had forged with their "brothers". It was published by HarperCollins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International</span> Organization

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International (YCRBYCHI) was a United States Christian youth ministry that held assemblies in public schools. YCRBYCHI's mission statement stated its goal was to "reshape America by re-directing the current and future generations both morally and spiritually through education, media, and the Judeo-Christian values found in our U.S. Constitution."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual Minorities Uganda</span> Non-governmental organization

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) is an umbrella non-governmental organization based in Kampala, Uganda. It has been described as the country's leading gay rights advocacy group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Kato</span> Ugandan LGBT rights activist (1964–2011)

David Kato Kisule was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement and described as "Uganda's first openly gay man". He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG).

<i>Call Me Kuchu</i> 2012 American documentary film directed by Malika Zouhali-Worrall

Call Me Kuchu is a 2012 American documentary film directed by Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax Wright. The film explores the struggles of the LGBT community in Uganda, focusing in part on the 2011 murder of LGBT activist David Kato.

Kushaba Moses Mworeko is a Ugandan LGBT rights activist, combat medic and blogger. Mworeko, who is gay, was involved in a U.S. asylum case following an interview he gave to an LGBTQ newspaper in the U.S. which published the interview in 2010 along with his picture and full identity—effectively outing him. Following that publication, a Ugandan tabloid saw the interview and reprinted portions of it along with his picture with the headline: "[This] Gay Monster Raped Boys in School but Failed to Bonk Wife" – effectively distorting the content of that interview and putting his life in danger in a country like Uganda where homosexuality is illegal and where at the time Ugandan Member of Parliament (MP) David Bahati has introduced his "Kill the Gays Bill". According to a 28 September 2010 issue published on Box Turtle Bulletin and authored by writer Jim Burroway, Burroway accused the Ugandan tabloid of "gay-baiting and gay-bashing journalism" and for "grossly distorting that same interview in its write-up."

Uganda has a very long and, quite permissive, and sometimes violent history regarding the LGBT community, stretching back from the pre-colonial period, through British colonial control, and even after independence.

John "Longjones" Abdallah Wambere is a Ugandan gay rights activist and co-founder of Spectrum Uganda Initiatives, a Kampala-based LGBTI rights advocacy organization with a focus on health education. Because of the threat of violence and persecution he faces in Uganda, Wambere was approved for asylum in the United States by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services on September 11, 2014. He currently resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Kapya John Kaoma is a Zambian, US-educated scholar, pastor and human rights activist who is most noted for his pro-LGBTQ+ activism, particularly regarding Africa.

References

  1. ↑ Uganda State House (1 March 2015). "Full Cabinet List As At 1 March 2015" (PDF). Daily Monitor (Kampala). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Malingha, David (1 March 2015). "Uganda's Museveni Promotes Matia Kasaija To Finance Minister". Bloomberg News . Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Parliament of Uganda". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "Early Day Motion 874". UK Parliament. 22 February 2010. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  5. ↑ Morrell, Anna (21 June 2007). "Bishop of St Davids appeals for help for people in Uganda". The Church in Wales. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  6. ↑ "Bishop pours out the waters of life in Africa". Wales online. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Geen, Jessica (15 October 2009). "Ugandan MP proposes that gays should be executed". Pink News. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Uganda MP urges death for gay sex". BBC News. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  9. ↑ "Finding The Root Of Anti-Gay Sentiment In Uganda". NPR. 25 August 2010.
  10. ↑ Terry Gross (24 November 2009). "The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'". Fresh Air from WHYY-FM . 22m:02s duration: 30s. Well, the legislator that introduced the bill, a guy named David Bahati, is a member of The Family. He appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and oversees an African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda. Transcript available at: "The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'". NPR . Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 "Guests: Jeff Sharlet, etc. Transcript". The Rachel Maddow Show . MSNBC. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  12. ↑ "A Different Perspective On 'The Family' And Uganda". NPR. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  13. ↑ On 'Rachel Maddow,' Uganda's David Bahati Says He Loves Gays, retrieved 10 December 2010
  14. ↑ Rachel Maddow/David Bahati -- full interview Archived 20 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine , The Maddow Blog, 9 December 2010
  15. ↑ "Ugandan MPs pass life in jail anti-homosexual law". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Uganda's President signs anti-gay bill into law". CNN News . 24 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "Museveni signs Uganda anti-gay bill". NEWS24 . 24 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  18. ↑ "Uganda anti-gay law challenged in court". The Guardian. AFP. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Uganda court annuls anti-gay law". BBC News. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  20. ↑ "Uganda constitutional court annuls new anti-gay law". Times LIVE. AFP. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.