Asuman Basalirwa

Asuman Basalirwa (born November 17, 1977) is a Ugandan politician and member of the 11th parliament representing Bugiri Municipality. He was first elected to the parliament in 2018 on the ticket of Justice Forum (JEEMA).^[1]

Asuman Basalirwa
Member of the Ugandan Parliament from Bugiri Municipality
Incumbent
Assumed office 2018
Personal details
Born	(1977-11-17) November 17, 1977 (age 46)
Nationality	Ugandan
Political party	Justice Forum
Alma mater	Makerere University

Education

Basalirwa earned his First School Leaving Certificate from Mwiri Primary School in 1991, and Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), 1996 and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) from Kiira College Butiki in 1998.^[2] He holds a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre (LDC) Kampala, Uganda in 2004. In 2008, he finished from Pretoria University with a Certificate in International Humanitarian Law and a Master of Laws from Makerere University in 2015. He’s a Lawyer/Partner at Sewankambo & Co. Advocates.^[2]

Political career

Basalirwa is the president of Justice Forum (JEEMA) from 2010 to date.^[3] He is the Chairperson of the Inter-Party Organisation on Dialogue (IPOD). He was elected to the parliament in 2018 and was re-elected in the 2021 general election to represent Bugiri Municipality. He serves as the Deputy Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.^[4][5]

In March 2023, he tabled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023, which would criminalise and jail people who identify as LGBTQ in Uganda. Anyone engaging in a same-sex relationship or in a same-sex marriage in Uganda would serve a 10-year jail sentence.^[6] President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law on 29 May 2023 after parliament watered it down. It is still among the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda but now anyone convicted faces life imprisonment.^[7]

References

1. Independent, The (2021-06-11). "We must work together to challenge NRM - Basalirwa". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
2. Uganda, Flash (2021-01-10). "Asuman Basalirwa: Biography, Politics, Early Life and Education of Bugiri Municipality MP". Flash Uganda Media. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
3. "JEEMA says they will not attend today's IPOD summit". Nile Post. 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
4. "Basalirwa: "Who will enforce presidential directives on Covid19 measures?"". Nile Post. 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
5. murami (2020-10-01). "Political parties not getting funding-Basalirwa". www.parliament.go.ug. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
6. "Jail threat in Uganda for saying you're gay". BBC News. 9 March 2023.
7. "Uganda's President Museveni approves tough new anti-gay law". BBC News. 29 May 2023.