Homosexuality: West Buganda Diocese directs church schools to seek approval on external funding

West Buganda Diocese has directed all head teachers across Church founded schools to seek permission from the diocesan education committee before approving any external funding in order to check on the spread of homosexuality.

While addressing members of diocesan council, Church of Uganda's West Buganda Bishop Rt Rev Henry Katumba Tamale observed that there are many ill minded elements that may hide behind extending financial support to schools but with the intention of recruiting young children into same-sex activities.

“Let all kinds of support be scrutinized and I urge you to be observant because homosexuality is not only done by foreigners. They have so far recruited Ugandans who act as their agents and these may even be teachers whom you hire to teach in our schools’’ he added at an event on March 13.

He also called upon teachers in Church-founded schools to include liturgical teachings, hands-on training and co-curricular activities in their curriculum to “help in proper upbringing of responsible citizens.”

The pronouncement has come in time when allegations of homosexuality in schools are on the increase.

Last week, parents stormed PMM Girls’ School in Jinja City after a female teacher, Ms Lydia Mukoda, was accused and arrested over promoting lesbianism among students.

Various prelates have consistently spoken against homosexuality, saying the Church in Uganda shall continue to emphasize heterosexual marriages as the lifelong, exclusive bond between one man and one woman for procreation as reflected in the Bible.

Homosexuality is illegal under the Penal Code Act and it carries a possible seven-year sentence for those caught in the same sex relations.

Recently, the Church of Uganda came clear on a decision taken over ten years ago when it, along with others in Africa, broke its ties with Anglicans in North America and the Church of England over the issue of gay ordinations and same-sex blessings.