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The Confession of a Patsy – to Uganda Gay Activist’s Murder – Amounts to a Hit

Posted by: Lez Get Real on February 2, 2011.

Melanie Nathan- Wed Feb 2, 2011 -

David Kato

According to Ugandan police they have caught a man who has confessed to murdering the gay rights activist, David Kato, citing a “personal disagreement.” David Kato, one of the country’s most visible gay campaigners, was beaten to death with a hammer at his home on Thursday, last week.

“The murder of Kato, made worldwide headlines and governments and rights groups lined up to criticize Uganda for failing to tackle what some called “a culture of hate, “ says Reuters Article, today. “The prime suspect, Nsubuga Enock, was arrested today at around 4pm when he went to visit his girlfriend, police spokesman Vincent Ssetake told Reuters.”

Given the historical context and milieu of anti-gay sentiment in Uganda, no amount of confession brandishing on the part of the Ugandan authorities, notoriously a dictatorial regime, would have any of us believe that this murder was anything but an ordered hit; and if not then the brewing climate of LGBT hate is tantamount to an ordered hit.

Homosexuality may be touted as taboo in many African nations; but was barely paid attention to in Uganda, until the Evangelical Christian Group, funded by “The Family” in the persona of Scott Liveley, found the country a willing recipient of a homosexuality scapegoat route via Leviticus and the accusation that gays were the Nazis and caused the holocaust.

As far as the Ugandans who subscribe to the anti-gay sentiment are concerned – Kato was a criminal for having committed homosexual acts. His face was emblazoned on the front cover of the (perhaps Government or Evangelically sponsored) news magazine, Uganda Rolling Stone outing 100 GAYS with a caption “Hang Them.”

With the imminent introduction of what became known as the “Kill The Gays Bill” authored by David Bahati, a member of Parliament in Uganda,we can track the Bills connection to the American Evangelical movement, evidenced further by Bahati’s recent stint as guest in the USA, of a retired career department of Education employee, Jack (and wife Linda) Klenk, a couple involved with the Truro Church, an Evangelical breakaway from the Anglican Church, located in Washington D.C. neighborhood of Falls Church, VA.

A patsy is an easy production for the likes of Uganda and who knows what rewards the “murderer” may ultimately receive. Even if the confession was indeed a truthful depiction in so far as it relates to motive, how bad could a “murderer” feel for killing a criminal?

In fact if one were to believe the rhetoric of anti-gay proponents in Uganda, surely the confessor could claim self defense – after all in David Bahati’s words and in the words of the Rolling Stone, “the homos are recruiting our children and causing them great harm.” Imagine the murderer could simply say – “the homo came on to me; ” and I suspect that given the following statement by the Police Officer, Ssetake as quoted by Reuters, that is precisely what happened:

“He has confessed to the murder. It wasn’t a robbery (initially the police said it was a robbery) and it wasn’t because Kato was an activist. It was a personal disagreement but I can’t say more than that.”

All of the above possibilities are tantamount to a hit – as the climate in itself – which can hardly be reversed without much repair, lends itself to absolute justification – of the killing of Kato and all gays. One cannot ignore that Kato said he had received death threats since the publication of the Rolling Stone Edition.

The mere fact of the sentiment and history surrounding David Kato’s murder, nothing can convince me that it was anything but homophobia.