PLWHA beauty pageants encourage young people to get HIV/Aids - Ssempa

He was appearing before the Vice Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in Kampala on December 15.

“I am not at any point stigmatising these people. The virus is very bad and, therefore, we must always condemn the virus because it kills our people. However, a beauty contest cannot deliver a message that the person is good and that the virus is bad.

But these people are accusing me of stigmatising, [that] I discriminate against people using my Twitter handle. I was discussing with 12 lawyers and two law schools, how do you say that I am discriminating?” Ssempa said.

Ssempa was reported by the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) over comments he made regarding the Young Positives (Y+) Beauty Pageant.

CEHURD alleges that on July 24, 2019, Ssempa sent out several tweets stigmatising PLWHA in response to a tweet by former president of Uganda Christian University (UCU) law society, Joy Shammah, who was congratulating Gloria Nawanyaga for becoming the Miss Y+.

In his defence yesterday, Ssempa said it was not a personal attack rather it was a scrutiny of the rewards given out which send the message that getting infected is a privilege.

"I don’t know Gloria, we have never met and I even don’t know the Y+ Beauty Pageant because they have never invited me to their events. My comments were against the rewards given to them, like vehicles, trips to other countries. This is kind of encouraging people to contract HIV so that they can participate in these beauty contests and be rewarded," he said.

He added that he has been fighting stigma in the country for over 30 years as Pastor by offering free counselling at church, visiting hospitals, organising camps, among other interventions. That he was exercising his freedom of expression using his Twitter account.

CEHURD programs manager Dorothy Amuron called out Ssempa over his ignorance of the impact of the pageant. She said that they have always been organised by Uganda Network of Young People Living With HIV/Aids (UNYPA).

The aim being to give young PLWHA a positive experience and extinguish stigma that holds them back from adhering to drugs, good nutirtion, spreading love, and other positive experiences.

According to Uganda Aids Commission, stigma is still a formidable barrier to significant health and development within the country affecting enrolment of PLWHA into treatment and care.