The UK has imposed sanctions against Uganda's Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, as well as two members of parliament for alleged corruption, UK Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell said.
The three, two of whom are former ministers in charge of Uganda's poorest region, Karamoja, and who have been indicted by Uganda's anti-corruption court for corruption, will be subject to travel bans and asset freezes, the government added.
"The two former ministers sanctioned – Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu – stole thousands of iron sheets used for roofing and infrastructure from a Ugandan government-funded project aimed at housing some of the most vulnerable communities in the region, providing them to prominent politicians and their families instead," the statement said.
Speaker Among "benefited from the proceeds," the UK government alleged.
The Ugandan Parliament responded by calling the allegations rumors that were prompted by the Speaker's support for Uganda's anti-LGBT* legislation.
"The iron sheets have been used as a ruse to conceal the real, unstated but clearly obvious reason for the sanctions, which is the Speaker's stance on the recently enacted Anti-Homosexuality Act," the parliament said.
The lawmakers also advised London to "respect Uganda's sovereignty" and avoid "interfering in local politics, including arm-twisting decision-makers to align with their value systems, especially on homosexuality."
Since the Ugandan president signed a law that prohibits same-sex relationships and imposes the death penalty for certain related aggravated crimes, including engaging in homosexual acts with minors, Uganda has been criticized by Western countries and Western-backed organizations. The US, for instance, announced several rounds of visa restrictions for Ugandan officials involved in the enforcement of the law.
In early December, the US imposed a new package of sanctions on Ugandan officials involved in the law, which Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem criticized, accusing Washington of pushing its LGBT agenda in Africa.
* The "LGBT movement" is classified as extremist by the Russian authorities and is banned in Russia.