Ugandan civil servant charged with sodomy

The Ugandan media is reporting that a 42-year-old former government official is facing life in prison after being charged with gay sex.

The man, who Mambaonline has chosen not to name, appeared before the Soroti Grade II Magistrate Court in the east of the country last week.

He has been charged with committing a crime against “the order of nature”.

The married man, a previous employee of the Northern Uganda Rehabilitation Programme, is alleged to have engaged in “sodomy” with an 18-year-old relative.

He was not asked to plea and was ordered to remain in custody in the Soroti government prison until his next court appearance.

The case is expected to be moved to the High Court.

Uganda’s colonial-era 19th century ban on gay sex was enshrined in the Penal Code Act 1950 by the British.

It remains in force and criminalises “carnal knowledge against the order of nature” between two males, allowing the state to imprison anyone found guilty for life. In 2000, the law was extended to also criminalise sex between women.