Behind the US sanctions and bans on Ugandan officials involved in the Anti-Homosexuality Bill lies Washington's desire to pressure the nation to change its position on homosexuality, Ugandan MP Asuman Basalirwa, who introduced the bill, told Sputnik Africa.
"So, they [the US authorities] are disguising the sanctions in the broader question of human rights, rule of law and democracy," he pointed out.
He noted that superpowers often "poke their noses in the domestic affairs of other countries," because they provide money, military equipment and support, which turns the recipients of the aid into "victims."
Regarding Western values, the lawmaker noted that because a large proportion of Ugandans "admire Western lifestyles," education, and health care, it gives the impression that all Western values "are good." However, Basalirwa argued that this approach is flawed, pointing out that "the institution of the family in the Western countries has been completely destroyed."
"There are no marriages to talk about. In African societies, and in greater parts of Asia, the foundation of society is family. The foundation of society is marriage. Now, what they are destroying in the West is worthy for us here in Africa and we are preserving it," he remarked.
The new set of visa restrictions announced by Washington on Monday was criticized by Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem, who accused the US of pushing its LGBT agenda in Africa.
Uganda has been criticized by Western countries and organizations after President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 in late May, which criminalizes same-sex relationships and provides for the death penalty for certain crimes, such as engaging in homosexual acts with a minor child.
In response, the Ugandan leader called some Western actors, including the lender, "insufferable" and noted that foreign loans are not a "decisive" element in the implementation of the country's socio-economic program.
In addition, Museveni later blamed "homosexuals in the US" for preventing textile exports from the country after several US clothing manufacturers stopped buying Ugandan raw materials because of the anti-LGBT law.
In early November, Washington similarly excluded the East African nation from the African Growth and Opportunity Act's preferential trade program, citing alleged "gross violations" of human rights.
* The "LGBT movement" is classified as extremist by the Russian authorities and is banned in Russia.