The World Bank is reopening its wallet to Uganda, nearly two years after cutting off the funds in protest of one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ laws — a law that still threatens lives and freedoms across the country.
In August 2023, the Bank hit pause on new funding following the enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which mandates the death penalty for what it calls “aggravated homosexuality” and slaps a 20-year sentence on anyone accused of “promoting” same-sex relations. Now, the Bank says it’s satisfied with Uganda’s efforts to limit the damage — not by changing the law, but by creating safeguards around it.
“We have now determined the mitigation measures rolled out over the last several months in all ongoing projects in Uganda to be satisfactory,” a World Bank spokesperson said. These include new oversight in sectors like social protection, education, and refugee support — areas now cleared for three brand-new, big-budget development projects.
Money Over Morals?
It’s hard not to read between the budget lines. Uganda didn’t repeal the law. The threat of execution for consensual same-sex acts remains. But with enough “mitigation” procedures, the World Bank seems willing to overlook a human rights crisis in exchange for economic development.
This isn’t just about aid. The World Bank is one of Uganda’s largest external financiers — especially for roads, schools, and refugee infrastructure. Cutting off that cash flow in 2023 was a rare moment of accountability. Reversing course now sends a troubling message: discrimination may be deadly, but it’s negotiable.
For the global LGBTQ community, the news lands like a punch. “You’re telling us our lives are up for barter,” one East African activist said on condition of anonymity. “The World Bank just gave Uganda a green light to keep killing — as long as they don’t do it near a construction site.”
A Dangerous Precedent
This move may encourage other governments to copy Uganda’s playbook — pass the law, weather the PR storm, promise a few fences around it, and wait for the funds to return. It suggests that the rights of queer people are not a dealbreaker, just a delay.
Uganda’s LGBTQ citizens continue to live under daily threat — of arrest, violence, and execution. Resuming funding without any change to the underlying law legitimizes a regime that criminalizes identity. For an institution that claims to fight poverty and promote inclusion, the optics are damning.
Cash may be flowing again, but so is fear. And for Uganda’s queer community, not much has changed — except that now, the world’s money is flowing right back to their oppressors.