Fox Odoi, Member of Parliament for West Budama North East, has ignited a firestorm of controversy by calling for the legalization of prostitution in Uganda. Odoi’s remarks have sparked outrage and disgust among many Ugandans, who took to social media to express their condemnation.
According to Odoi, regulating the sex trade could be a lucrative source of revenue for the government. “We should legalize prostitution, regulate that sector, promote it, and make some money from it,” Odoi declared. The legislator argued that it is not the role of lawmakers to impose moral judgments. “For us as legislators, our forte isn’t morality. Morality is for the reverends, canons, and the Fathers,” Odoi said.
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However, not everyone agrees with Odoi’s stance. Nicholas Tushabe questioned Odoi’s consistency, asking if he had spoken out against the Anti-Homosexuality Act. Tushabe also expressed concern about human trafficking and the exploitation of women and girls in the sex trade. “Did he say the same when they were passing Anti-Homosexuality Act? Or then they had taken on the role of Reverends, Canons and Fathers? Secondly, how does he as part of the government expect to make money from it? There’s ongoing human trafficking of bringing girls from Rwanda to Uganda to do prostitution, any morally upright person needs to fight that at least.”
Peter Eceru argued that Uganda needs to shift from moralizing to using scientific evidence to inform legislation. “Fox Odoi has been the most liberal MPs. As a country, we need to stop moralising all our problems and shift to the use of scientific evidence as a basis of legislation.”
Gerald Ampamize noted that many young women are forced into prostitution as a last resort to survive. “I think most young girls and women are doing it as a last resort to survive. Look at the bodaboda industry in the country but no wonder cares to know what the females are engaged in to earn a living and yet females are more than men engaged in boda industry. Is it the solution to the high poverty in west Budama?!”
Amir Bazibu was scathing in his criticism, saying that legalizing prostitution would be a recipe for disaster. “Majority of the components in the 11th house are a disgrace.”
Gabriel Buule took a more nuanced view, arguing that sex work is a legitimate form of employment. “Yes, Sex Work is Work.”
Liam Sonko noted that prostitution and alcohol are key drivers of tourism in many countries, but cautioned that legalizing prostitution would require careful consideration and safeguards. “Prostitution and alcohol are the pivotal factors behind tourism in every country, however, legalizing it should come with serious scrutiny and safeguards to protect those laddies involved and their clients to avoid foul play.”
Then there was also a comment from Abel Opolot who said: “Then we should also legalize corruption, since we see some of the projects it’s funding across Uganda. Do you see how defective this reasoning is? You can’t consider legalizing a practice solely based on the fact that it generates revenue.”
