The Zimbabwean side also thanked the president of Belarus for sending humanitarian aid in the wake of the drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon. 

The Zimbabwean side also thanked the president of Belarus for sending humanitarian aid in the wake of the drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon. BELTA

Bana Mwesige was 12 years old when he joined the church choir. Singing was his sanctuary. But now, at 28, Bana can’t bring himself to sing gospel anymore. It’s not his faith in God that has wavered, it’s his faith in the church. When his pastor tried to ‘cure’ him from what needed no curing, Bana felt something inside of him break.

Bana Mwesige was raised in a religious family. Like almost 85% of the Ugandan population, he’s a Christian. Growing up, his mom and siblings were devout followers of the Anglican faith and Bana went to church because it was expected of him. It was only when he joined the church choir at 12 years old that he felt a connection to God. 

But now, at the age of 28, Bana can’t bring himself to sing gospel anymore. It’s not his faith in God that has wavered, it’s his faith in the church. Ten years ago, Bana went through “conversion therapy” with his pastor. It destroyed Bana’s relationship with the church and took the joy out of singing.  

In the Radio Workshop podcast episode Unholy Treatment, Bana speaks about his experience in conversion therapy 10 years ago, and how the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 is emboldening pastors to reinstate conversion therapy practices. 

Bana attended a Christian school in Uganda. He was a student leader, an academic high achiever and took part in sports. But he knew he was different. He couldn’t understand why boys didn’t talk about having crushes on other boys the same way they spoke about girls. As curious as he was, he didn’t dare ask others if they felt the same. Bana explained: “Even people who are not queer are stigmatised for the way they look, if they are feminine or if just their body looks different. The society we live in somehow trains you to stigmatise people.” 

Eventually, Bana found out he wasn’t the only one who was queer. Just as he was getting comfortable with his sexuality, one of his friends was outed, and then Bana himself was suspected of being gay. This set off a series of actions that ultimately landed Bana in a camp for “at-risk youths”. 

No matter how much Bana protested and denied being queer, his family wanted to prove to his school and church that he wasn’t. So they started finding measures of proof. First, Bana was sent to a doctor for a “sexual activity examination”. Human Rights Watch calls these examinations a form of sexual assault. When that wasn’t enough, they consulted a priest who claimed he could “cure” Bana. The priest suggested that Bana join him for one-on-one sessions and that he attend camp during the school holidays.  

Bana attended these camps every school holiday for two and a half years: eight times in total. The camp kept him busy from sunrise to sunset. The idea was that if Bana was busy he wouldn’t have time to “think homosexual thoughts”. The day would start with one-on-one sessions with the pastor, who asked Bana who had recruited him and if he knew any other queer people, among other questions. The sessions lasted hours. Bana says the pastor would probe and probe, and Bana quickly realised that if he lied and made up names of people and places, he’d get out the sessions faster.

Bana’s sexuality remained unchanged. Research consistently shows that conversion therapy can cause severe psychological damage and that it is not successful at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It’s been rejected by mainstream medical and mental health professionals for decades. 

But because social bias against LGBTQI+ people continues, so does the practice. An investigation by Open Democracy in 2021 found that many clinics in Uganda were offering “anti-gay therapies.”

Bana’s “therapy” ended when he graduated from high school. We’re now 10 years past the experience, and Bana has distanced himself from his family and finds comfort in surrounding himself with people who accept him for who he is. But he still can’t sing. “I associate singing with church abuse, and I have not been able to detach my trauma from music and church generally.”  

An independent UN expert called for a global ban on conversion therapy, saying it is wholly unscientific and goes against international human rights law. 

But, as Bana explains, Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 has emboldened churches and clinics to continue their anti-LGBTQI+ programmes, despite global criticism. DM

The Office of the Ombudsman is seeking clarification regarding the late inclusion of six names in the shortlist for positions at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

In an inquiry letter dated April 16, the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) is requesting that the IEBC selection panel clarify the late inclusion of these names to address public concerns about the transparency of the process for selecting new commissioners and the chairperson.

Charles Dulo, the CAJ chairman, is urging Dr. Nelson Makanda, the chair of the IEBC selection panel, to address these concerns regarding the additional candidates for commissioner positions in order to restore public confidence in the selection process. 

Dulo stated that the CAJ was prompted by widespread public concerns expressed through various media platforms about the inclusion of the six names. The public reacted with dismay upon learning of the late inclusion of Hassan Noor Hassan, Jibril Maalim Mohammed, Michael Ben Oliewo, Charles Kipyegon Mutai, Stephen Kibet Ngeno, and Joel Mwita Daniel to the shortlist for the vacant positions of chairperson and members of the IEBC, shortly before the scheduled interviews.

"It is instructive to note that on March 14, the selection panel published a shortlist comprising 11 candidates for the position of chairperson and 105 candidates for member positions on the commission. On that same day, the panel issued an addendum listing two additional candidates for the chairperson position and 26 additional candidates for member positions," the letter states in part.

In the letter, the CAJ claims that no explanation was provided for the addendum. 

"Subsequently, on March 25, just days before the scheduled interviews, the panel republished the list of shortlisted candidates for member positions. This revised list included the original 105 candidates, the 26 candidates from the addendum, and an additional six names that had not previously appeared in any published list," the CAJ letter continues.

Dulo drew the selection panel's attention to the constitutional provisions—Articles 10, 18, and 250—which govern the establishment, composition, and appointment of constitutional commissions. He emphasized that these provisions prioritize principles of transparency, fairness, integrity, and independence. By Steve Mkawale, The Standard

Kenya also called for respect for initiatives by the African Union 

In Summary

Kenya has called for concerted efforts towards addressing the Sudan crisis, regretting that a consensus was not arrived at on a joint communique issued in London.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who is participating in the London Conference on Sudan, noted that Kenya called for an all-inclusive dialogue for the diverse Sudanese people. 

In a statement, Mudavadi said Kenya insisted that pressure must be exerted in equal measure on the parties to the conflict to force them to the negotiating table.

“Kenya vouched for the creation of safe spaces for groups to hold conversations from which points of agreement could converge to bring all the voices together, and noted that it had provided such spaces in its long, illustrious history of peace mediation and would continue to do so,” he said.

He said most participants decried the dire situation in Sudan, stating that there was no military solution to the conflict, and urged warring parties to cease hostilities, embrace dialogue, and implement their humanitarian and protection of civilian commitments.

“They stressed the urgency for the resolution of the Sudan crisis to alleviate the plight of civilians, mainly women and children, who suffer the brunt of the wars,” he said.

The gathering in the UK came at a significant moment, marking the second year of the eruption of the war in Sudan that has claimed the lives of thousands and displaced millions of innocent civilians.

Mudavadi further noted that Kenya called for respect for the African Union and regional institutions established under the African Union, including the IGAD, which is the most appropriate body to handle issues in the Horn of Africa.

“Kenya decried the undermining of the ongoing initiatives by the African institutions, leading to delays in the resolution of conflicts on the continent, including in Sudan, and called for the mainstreaming of the work of the many initiatives into the critical regional institutions,” he noted.

Mudavadi added that Kenya called for candid conversations with those responsible for funding and providing capabilities to the warring parties in Sudan.

“Kenya underscored its commitment to the humanitarian situation in Sudan, citing its involvement in the rescue and evacuation of more than 2000 Kenyan and foreign nationals working for international organizations when the war erupted in 2023,” he stated.

The conference is being co-chaired by the United Kingdom, the African Union (AU), France, Germany, and the European Union (EU).

The forum also brought together Foreign Ministers and other High-level representatives from Canada, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Norway, Qatar, South Sudan, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uganda, and the United States of America. 

Others are High-level Representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States (LAS), and the United Nations (UN). By Allan Kisia, The Star