KAMPALA
Religious leaders in Uganda on Monday petitioned Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to re-table and pass an anti-homosexuality law recently overturned by the Supreme Court.
Leaders and some members of their flock gathered at Parliament's Chogm Gardens where they told the speaker that they were aggrieved about the court ruling.
Reading the petition, Pastor George Oduch said they still needed the law to help curb the funding and promotion of homosexuality and "protect our people, especially the children, from being recruited into this dehumanizing lifestyle."
On August 1, Uganda's Supreme Court overturned the country's controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act on grounds that parliament had fallen short of the necessary quorum during the voting session.
The law was passed by parliament on December 20 and later signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni.
It calls for life imprisonment for anyone convicted of engaging in homosexuality, among other tough penalties.
The legislation had drawn international criticism, including from U.S. President Barak Obama, and strained Uganda's relations with several donor countries.
Religious leaders insisted that no amount of economic aid could be compared to the values and wellbeing of Ugandans.
"We also believe that the time is ripe for Uganda to look for genuine developmental partners who will value our people and respect our culture," said Pastor Oduch.
Many legislators have already started gathering signatures to return the bill to the parliament floor for fresh endorsement.
"We call upon every MP to be present when the law is re-tabled to avoid future controversy," said Oduch.
"Let them at least vote by a show of hands so that we know as Ugandans who is on our side and who is on the side of homosexuals," he added.
Sheikh Edrissa Mbabali, a Muslim religious leader, told Speaker Kadaga that there was a trend at the nation's schools of homosexuals recruiting children and improving their wellbeing, which entices other children to engage in the practice at boarding schools.
"We beg you, Madame speaker, please help us and re-table this law and help our children," he added.
Kadaga, for her part, assured the public that their MPs stood for family values.
"Now that we have the 207 signatures, the rest is going to be smooth," she told assembled religious leaders.
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