TheCable

Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s president, has slammed the World Bank’s decision to suspend new funding to the country over its law that opposes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) practices.

The World Bank had on Tuesday said that the law, which prescribes life imprisonment and death penalty for certain same-sex acts, contradicted its values.

Reacting to the development in a series of posts on X, Museveni said Uganda will not be pressured to abandon its culture and principles.

“Ugandans, especially the Bazzukulu. Greetings. Things are moving well in Uganda in spite of the corruption of some Public Servants and some elements of the political class,” Museveni said on Thursday.

“Last night, an official from the World Bank rang me to alert me about the statement from that Bank regarding the suspension of any new requests from Uganda for loans.

“I want to inform everybody, starting with Ugandans, that Uganda will develop with or without loans.

Ugandans, especially the Bazzukulu.
Greetings. Things are moving well in Uganda in spite of the corruption of some Public Servants and some elements of the political class.

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Last night, an official from the World Bank rang me to alert me about the statement from that Bank… pic.twitter.com/vCJMUcD7CZ

— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) August 9, 2023

“It is, therefore, unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money. They really under-estimate all Africans.

“We do not need pressure from anybody to know how to solve problems in our society. They are our problems.

“We are continuing to talk with the World Bank so that both they and we avoid this diversion if possible.”

Museveni said that if Uganda needed to borrow, it could do so from other sources and that oil production expected to start by 2025 would provide additional revenues.