Don’t treat homosexuals in our facilities, says Maj Gen Takirwa

UPDF Deputy Commander of Land Forces, Maj Gen Francis Takirwa, addresses residents at the Mbarara District headquarters on February 5, 2023. PHOTO/RAJAB MUKOMBOZI

What you need to know:

  • The senior army officer’s  remarks come at a time there are concerns about homosexuality spreading in schools.

The Deputy Commander Land Forces Maj Gen Francis Takirwa has asked health workers to stop treating homosexuals in public health facilities.

Maj Gen Takirwa made the statement on Sunday when the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) commissioned and handed over different projects to Mbarara District residents at the headquarters in Bwizibwera.

“Don’t use our health facilities to treat homosexuals, someone comes with pampers leaking and wants treatment because he made a decision as if he didn’t have brains. No. No. This is too much and unacceptable,” Maj Gen Takirwa said.

He said such practices are shameful and should not be accepted.
“Someone comes and starts doing such shameful, unnatural, un-African practices and you keep quiet. Something just a dog which you give food on the ground can’t do but you with brains who eats on a plate can do, it’s shameful. God is about to fix us, and prepare yourselves for doing some of these practices even dogs can’t do,” he said.

The UPDF handed over a renovated health center IV outpatient department block and  two new classroom blocks at Kariro Muslim Primary School, both in Bwizibwera –Rutooma Town council. They also renovated Karuyenje Primary School in Rwanyamahembe Sub County and handed over four mattresses, a hospital delivery bed, detergents and dustbins.

Maj Gen Takirwa said the army handed over the projects and items to appreciate the civilians who made sacrifices during the liberation struggle. 

“We came from the civilian community, they sacrificed a lot for us and it’s our core responsibility to continue working for them and we will always be happy to be part of the civilian population,” he said.

The State minister for Defence in charge of veteran affairs, Ms Huda Aleru,  appealed to other institutions to emulate the UPDF in making the communities better.

“We are very happy for what the UPDF is doing, we know it might not be much but it’s a symbolic effort that we can make our communities better. We appeal to other institutions to make such sacrifices”, Ms Alelu said at Bwizibwera health center IV.

The leadership of Mbarara district appealed to UPDF leadership to ensure its engineering brigade takes over the construction of government projects.

“The newly constructed two classroom blocks at Kariro Primary School cost Shs65 million but if it was the tendering process by the government it would cost over Shs150 million. I think if we used the UPDF we would have had more schools and other service delivery infrastructure in place,” said Mr Emmy Kateera, the resident district commissioner of Mbarara.

Minister Aleru said as the ministry of defense and the UPDF leadership are proving to the public that things can be done cheaply and of quality. 

“I am happy that the public can recognize that we can do work that would have cost them over Shs150 million at just Shs65 million. As the UPDF we are ready if we are given the mandate to undertake works on major government infrastructure projects,” she said.