A young Ugandan man fights for a better life
Uganda is one of the most homophobic countries in the world. Lukenge Kulaiba is repeatedly attacked, threatened, and even arrested. He eventually decides to flee – and although he is currently relatively safe in a neighboring country, his situation remains fragile.
Text: Ralf Kaminski
Lukenge Kulaiba contacted Queeramnesty Switzerland via our website in late summer – not because he was hoping for immediate help, but because he wanted his story to be documented as widely as possible. The 23-year-old has already told it in detail to MambaOnline, a South African online news outlet for queer people. A member of the platform's editorial team even met him in person and verified his statements as far as possible.
When asked why he contacted us in Switzerland specifically, Lukenge writes that he wrote to numerous organizations, but we were one of the few that responded. He also requests that his current location in a neighboring country of Uganda not be disclosed. "Although I am currently safe, I live in precarious circumstances and could be arrested here as well." Here is a summary of Lukenge's story as he told it to MambaOnline.
As a gay man, Lukenge had long lived in fear in Uganda. But after the tightening of the anti-homosexuality law in 2023, the threat became existential. "I was almost beaten to death," he recounts. A mob attacked him, and he was later arrested by the police and charged with homosexuality. Although the charges were later dropped, the violence didn't stop. He moved within the capital, Kampala, seeking refuge in another neighborhood, but was attacked there as well. Finally, he fled to Tanzania, where his brother lived. But his hope for greater safety was short-lived: His brother discovered his sexual orientation and reported him to the police. Lukenge was deported back to Uganda.
Escape through several neighboring countries
For a while, he manages to stay under the radar. Together with other activists, he sets up a safe house in the south of the country – hidden, secluded, and cautious, because queer organizations in Uganda can only operate underground. For a short time, he seems safe there. Then, however, he receives an email, supposedly from the Ugandan police. Shortly afterward, he receives calls from security officers demanding that he come by; they just want to talk. He doesn't go, because he knows: "Either I'll be arrested, or worse."
Lukenge later realizes why the authorities might have found him. The notorious newspaper "Red Pepper" published his personal information and photos online. The paper has been notorious for years for publicly shaming LGBTQIA+ people. For Lukenge, being outed means his life is in danger. "They made me a target."
Together with his friend and fellow activist Feizi, he decides to flee again. The two travel to another neighboring country, avoiding official border crossings. They fear that Ugandan security networks could pursue them even outside the country. But they don't feel safe there either and continue their journey. Fear is always with them. "Even there, the threatening phone calls didn't stop," says Lukenge.
Lukenge soon realizes how justified his fear is. When his friend Feizi goes to their accommodation alone one day to retrieve his identification, he never returns. The lodge owner later tells Lukenge about armed men in civilian clothes. "I don't know where he is or if I'll ever hear from him again," he says. The loss deeply shakes him, and he decides to flee alone to another neighboring country.
All of this under precarious circumstances, because he has hardly any money. But through contacts in the queer community, he finally reaches the place where he is today and where he meets people who help him. One of them is Kuku, a queer activist. "He showed me hospitality, care, and love," Lukenge says. For the first time in a long time, he finds a place where he can breathe, even if just for a moment.
Hope for a better future
Lukenge's dream is to study law so he can fight against the laws in Uganda. However, he had to drop out of school in 2023. "My mother stopped paying my school fees after she found out I'd been arrested for being gay—she also refused to pay my bail," he explains. Since then, he's learned manicures and pedicures and earns a little money that way. "But it doesn't get me very far."
Even now, Lukenge lives in uncertainty – he would prefer to travel on to a country where he is safe, but that is difficult. His future is uncertain, his safety fragile. Nevertheless, he speaks unwaveringly about resistance and human rights. "Our freedoms are non-negotiable," he says. Fear must not silence people. "Freedom doesn't come to those who complain, but to those who fight for their rights." And that is exactly what he will continue to do. "I am convinced that in the end we will win."
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