Steven Kabuye. (Photo via Twitter)
A State Department spokesperson on Jan. 4 urged the Ugandan government to investigate the stabbing of prominent activist Steven Kabuye and prosecute those who committed it.
“We call on the government of Uganda to investigate this assault, as it would every other violent assault, and to prosecute those responsible to the full extent of the law,” the spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement.
Kabuye is the co-executive director of Coloured Voice Truth to LGBTQ Uganda.
A video he posted to his X account on Wednesday shows him on the ground writhing in pain with a deep laceration on his right forearm and a knife embedded in his stomach.
Coloured Voice Truth to LGBTQ Uganda Advocacy Officer Hans Senfuma on X wrote two “unknown individuals who were on a motorcycle” stabbed Kabuye at around 8 a.m. near his home as he was going to work. Kabuye remains in the hospital, but a source told the Blade the knife used to stab him in the stomach did not damage any organs.
“He’s expected to heal soon,” said the source.
The stabbing took place less than seven months after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed his country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”
The State Department a few weeks after the Anti-Homosexuality Act took effect announced visa restrictions against unnamed Ugandan officials. The World Bank Group later announced the suspension of new loans to Uganda.
The Biden-Harris administration has removed Uganda from a program that allows sub-Saharan African countries to trade duty-free with the U.S. and has issued a business advisory for the country over the Anti-Homosexuality Act. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month announced sanctions against current and former Ugandan officials who committed human rights abuses against LGBTQ people and other groups.
Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Dec. 18 heard arguments in a lawsuit that challenges the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
Republican Michigan Congressman Tim Walberg on Oct. 8 defended the Anti-Homosexuality Act in a speech he gave at Uganda’s National Prayer Breakfast. The Young Turks reported Museveni is among those who attended the event.
Kabuye during an interview with the Associated Press he said “politicians who are using the LGBTQ+ community as a scapegoat to move people away from what is really happening in the country.” Kabuye further attributed the attack against him to the growing intolerance against LGBTQ Ugandans these officials have fueled.
“We urge respect for the human rights of all Ugandans, including LGBTQI+ persons,” the State Department spokesperson told the Blade. “We call on the government of Uganda to respect and protect those who advocate for the safety and freedom of all Ugandans.”
It is not immediately clear whether Ugandan police have made any arrests in connection with the stabbing.
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