KAMPALA, UGANDA: The former Minister of Ethics & Integrity, Rev. Fr. Simon Lokodo is dead at the age of 64 years, DailyExpress reports.
Fr. Lokodo who at the time of his death was an Honourable Commissioner at the Uganda Human Rights Commission – UHRC is said to have died in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday morning January 29, 2022.
“It’s with great shock and pain that we have learnt of the passing of our Honourable Member of the Commission, Fr. Simon Lokodo. He passed on this morning in Geneva, Switzerland. The Commission will share details in due course,” UHRC said in a tweet moments after the executive director Uganda Media Centre (UMC), Mr Ofwono Opondo announced the news while appearing on Capital FM’s political talks how, the Capital Gang.
Fr. Lokodo served as Minister of State for Ethics & Integrity in the Office of the President of Uganda since 2011. Previously he was the Minister of State for Industry from 2009 to 2011.
The celebrated catholic priest also severed as Member of Parliament representing Dodoth County, Kaabong District since 2006 until 2021.
But who was Fr. Simon Lokodo, his profile, education, career, and background?
Simon Lokodo was born in Kaabong District on 28 October 1957. He holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University. His Master of Arts in Theology was also obtained from the same university of Rome.
He also holds the Diploma in Rural Sociology, the Diploma in Social Communication, the Diploma in Philosophy & Social Science and the Certificate in Italian Language.
He obtained his Diploma in Theology, from Makerere University, Uganda’s oldest university; founded in 1922. Lokodo also holds a Certificate in German Language obtained from an institution in Austria and a Certificate in French Language, obtained from an institution in Paris, France.
Before entering politics, he was the parish priest for Kaabong Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotido.
At the age of 49, Lokodo first entered politics to contest a special election on 29 June 2006, following the death of the incumbent member of parliament.
Lokodo was ex-communicated from the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI when he entered politics.
He won the special election and began representing Dodoth County, Kaabong District, in the parliament.
In February 2009, he was appointed to the cabinet as the Minister of State for Industry & Technology.[6] In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, he was relocated to the Ethics & Integrity portfolio, replacing Nsaba Buturo.
In the cabinet reshuffle of 1 March 2015, he retained his cabinet post.
Fr Lokodo became controversially popular for challenging homosexuality in all forms. In 2012, he and the police raided and shut down a gay activist workshop. He was quoted as saying, “I have closed this conference because it’s illegal. We do not accept homosexuality in Uganda.”
In 2014, Stephen Fry interviewed Lokodo in Stephen Fry: Out There, where he was quoted as saying “…men raping girls. Which is natural.” Fry later revealed in 2016 that Lokodo had tried to commit suicide in the hours after the interview.
In February 2014, dress code legislation was enacted, aimed primarily at women. Clothes that are considered revealing or sexually provocative were to be outlawed; “If you dress in such a way that you irritate the mind and excite the people then you are badly dressed; if you draw the attention of the other person outside there with a malicious purpose of exciting and stimulating him or her into sex,” Lokodo stated.
In August 2016 while addressing a press conference, Fr. Lokodo said that the pornography detection machine was due to arrive in the country in September that very year. He further added that the Government had already contracted a South Korean company that will supply it to Uganda upon the ministry receiving the budget of sh2.6b.
In August last year, President Museveni appointed Fr. Simon Lokodo as a new Commissioner at the Uganda Human Rights Commission after it emerged that he had been dropped in the new list of his cabinet ministers.
According to the deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, Uganda has lost a leader who served with dedication and had so much life ahead of him.
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