Ugandan President Says U.S. Prayer Breakfast Bailed on Him
One year after “Kill the Gays” law, Museveni asks where U.S. allies went
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Ugandan Pres. Yoweri Museveni said this week that he is no longer in touch with the right-wing American Christians — including members of Congress — behind the global prayer breakfast movement.
Museveni made his remarks at Uganda’s 26th annual National Prayer Breakfast. He told his minister, who runs the event, to ask Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), “What happened to that group?”
Museveni’s remarks came one year after Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), co-chair of the 2023 U.S. National Prayer Breakfast, addressed its Ugandan spinoff, urging Ugandans to “stand firm” against international reaction to its new LGBTQ+ death penalty.
As I reported last year, Walberg’s trip was paid for by the Fellowship Foundation, aka The Family, which has spread its prayer-breakfast networking around the world.
Walberg denied my reporting, but never explained what else he meant by his remarks. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act was the only major new issue prompting increased international pressure on Museveni.
Leaders in Walberg’s home state and Capitol Hill didn’t take kindly to him bolstering Museveni.
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, wrote to The Fellowship seeking information about its activities and asking its position on Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ Anti-Homosexuality Act and Walberg’s speech. The Fellowship’s response did not include any of what Pocan requested.
Walberg last year predicted pushback in America, but assured his Ugandan audience, “I’m not gonna give in to them.” He said that Museveni now knew that “he has members around the world, even congressmen like me, who will say, ‘We stand with you.’”
Museveni seems less sure of that today.
A year after Walberg’s promise that at least some Americans stand with Uganda, Museveni this week asked where everyone went. He directed his remarks specifically to Minister of State for Industry David Bahati, who spearheaded the Anti-Homosexuality Act and is The Fellowship’s longtime Ugandan liaison:
“Check what happened to the U.S.? Do we need [to] help them, can we go help them? What? Because I no longer hear anything from that group. The surviving person, Bahati, whom you can ask — I think he’s still alive — Senator Grassley, Senator Grassley. He's an old man. He was in that group. So what happened to that prayer breakfast group in the U.S.? … Please get to the gist of it and find out. Out of curiosity, I want to know what happened…”
Despite Museveni’s concern, The Fellowship, remains active both domestically in the U.S. and with shadow diplomacy around the world, as it has for decades. Just, it seems, not with Museveni anymore.
(As I reported earlier this year, The Fellowship’s point man in Ukraine was a key player in the campaign to win congressional military funding. And he’s been lobbying U.S. Christians on the chance to turn Ukraine into a European “Bible Belt.”)
Given The Fellowship’s continued work on the global stage, Museveni’s remarks suggest that whatever contacts he once had, are no longer active. Grassley (R-IA) has a history with Museveni, but is now 91 years old. Another longtime Fellowship ally — who had what they often describe as “a heart for Africa” — Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), died this summer.
That said, The Fellowship did have a presence at the Ugandan breakfast this week. It’s not clear whether Museveni was aware, but The Fellowship’s American insider, who’s been in Uganda for decades, was there this week, briefly visible in video of the audience.
And Bahati referred to a “strong delegation from the United States of America” at this year’s Ugandan breakfast.
The theme of last year’s event — including Walberg’s remarks — was that Ugandans should stand by Museveni even as international sanctions and other measures rippled throughout the nation’s economy.
During last year’s prayer breakfast, Bahati recounted discussing with Walberg the politics of his speech there. He recalled raising the controversy over the Anti-Homosexuality Act with Walberg, who responded, “Don’t worry, we are on the right side of God.”
And Museveni at last year’s breakfast cited Walberg’s presence as evidence of support in the U.S. “You now know,” Museveni told the audience, “that there are other Americans, other western people, who think like us.”
The Fellowship’s Ugandan liaison, Tim Kreutter, has never publicly condemned Uganda’s death penalty, in the almost two decades since Bahati first pushed it. Kreutter has been involved in the Ugandan prayer breakfast for about a quarter century now, and was in the audience at this week’s event.
In his 2010 book, “C Street,” author Jeff Sharlet recounted Fellowship insiders saying they left the politics of Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ efforts to Kreutter, who was, in Sharlet’s phrasing, “displeased” with them. But not displeased enough to end his Ugandan relationships or support for the prayer network.
And Kreutter, Sharlet says, counted the Musevenis as “personal friends.” Given Kreutter’s presence in the audience, it may be that Museveni’s lament about the vanished American group referred not to civilian Fellowship associates, but to the members of Congress tied to The Fellowship.
Walberg was criticized by local groups in Michigan, but also on the national stage. And his remarks drew attention to the secretive Fellowship, which historically seeks to keep a low profile, and disguise its events as government functions.
Citing my reporting, Pocan wrote to The Fellowship expressing his “strongest concerns” about The Fellowship’s activities in Uganda. At the 2023 Ugandan breakfast, Pocan wrote, “which The Fellowship Foundation helped support—including by flying in Rep. Tim Walberg to speak—speakers called LGBTQI+ advocates “a force from the bottom of Hell,” said they would “destroy” “the forces of LGBTQ,” and spoke in support of the Anti-Homosexuality Act.”
(This year’s anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric was less inflammatory and frequent. First Lady Janet Museveni said God did not give Adam to Adam and Eve to Eve, “so we must protect the family values.”)
Fellowship Board Chair Katherine Crane told Pocan in her response, “At no time has there been any authorization or interest by the International Foundation [The Fellowship’s d/b/a] to fund, influence, or instigate any hurt or hate for anyone.”
Unsatisfied, Pocan issued a news release titled, “Rep. Pocan slams Fellowship Foundation's refusal to condemn Ugandan ‘Kill the Gays’ bill.”
To this day, The Fellowship’s leadership includes opponents of LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. Some of The Fellowship’s international allies openly proclaim right-wing goals for their breakfasts.
International groups have warned Democrats that they hurt the causes of LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights when they participate. As I revealed a few years ago, the primary financial sponsor of the U.S. prayer breakfast was Franklin Graham, one of the world’s biggest crusaders against LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights.
According to some reports, Ugandan industries tied to tourist dollars have been hurt by international revulsion at its new death penalty. Uganda’s economy overall, however, is forecast by the World Bank to expand next year, with its Gross Domestic Product expected to increase by 6.0% in 2024.
Uganda’s LGBTQ+ population, meanwhile, has been driven even further underground. Violence against them is increasing. At least two people have been arrested on charges that could bring the death penalty.
Providing shelter or even renting to LGBTQ+ people can now bring legal penalties. So can speech on their behalf.
Prior to last year, Uganda had a number of organizations and leaders openly advocating for and providing services to the country’s LGBTQ+ people. Since the law’s 2023 passage, however, now even they’re being targeted.
I’m a veteran journalist and TV news producer who’s worked at MSNBC, CNN, ABCNews, The Daily Show, Air America Radio, and TYT. You can support my independent reporting with a paid subscription to my Substack or with a donation.
Isn’t it interesting that authoritarians always seem to be against the LBGTQ community. I used to work nights with an Ugandan man, and I got a primer on Ugandan politics. Basically, if Musaveni doesn’t like you, you get labeled a terrorist. Speak out against him? Terrorist.
Also, when Trump won, every single African I worked with said “you all can never comment on African politics again unless it’s to commiserate.”
Thanks for the detail. I doubt I'll see anything else written w/o searching .ug sources.