Uganda’s Queer Community Faces Crisis Amidst U.S. Funding Cuts

Uganda’s transgender and broader queer community faces growing uncertainty following an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that cuts funding for programs supporting them.

On January 24th, organizations working with trans men and women received an order banning aid from their primary funder, USAID. This has led to the abrupt termination of community programs, including those run by Uganda Key Population Consortium (UKPC), an organization supporting sex workers, transgender persons, and other key populations.

“We’ve been terminated twice,” says Richard Lusimbo, Director General of UKPC. “We were among the first to be cut off. The executive order mandated a 90-day review, yet within days, our funding was stopped.”

According to UKPC’s research, 97% of funding for key population programs came from the U.S., and the loss has been devastating. “About 43% of organizations reported losing between 77% and 100% of their funding. Much of our work, especially in health, has relied on foreign aid because our government has failed to invest in the well-being of our community,” Lusimbo explains.

With funding halted, essential programs beyond healthcare, such as employment support, safe housing, and emergency resources, have also been put on hold. “We had started initiatives to help community members access jobs and provide emergency housing and nutrition. These were crucial, especially after lessons from COVID-19, where many lost their livelihoods and even stopped taking medication due to lack of food. Now, all that work has been terminated.”

Lusimbo remains hopeful that alternative donors will step in, but in the meantime, service delivery has been crippled. Many Drop-In Centers (DICs), which provided crucial healthcare services, have been shut down. “Even after a waiver was issued for PEPFAR funding, it excluded key prevention tools like PrEP and PEP for our community, making access to care even harder. The infections won’t pause just because aid has stopped,” he warns.

The impact extends beyond the transgender community. Vulnerable groups, including adolescent girls and women, have lost crucial HIV prevention and gender-based violence services. UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has warned that continued funding cuts could lead to a sixfold increase in HIV infections, derailing global efforts to end the epidemic by 2030.

Many DICs that receive funding through the CDC have some breathing room, but resources are stretched thin. “UKPC had to lay off 25 staff members, and other community centers face the same challenge. When funding is uncertain, stigma and discrimination increase,” Lusimbo explains. “Trump’s statement that ‘there are only two genders’ has emboldened conservative health providers to refuse care, reinforcing systemic exclusion.”

Dr. Frank Mugisha, the Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) International, states that their experience is somewhat similar to that of UKPC, although they were not receiving direct funding from the US government and did not lose any human resources. 

Regarding structure and human resources, Dr. Mugisha says that their organisation has not lost any staff, mainly because it focuses on defending human rights, a sector that typically receives less funding than health. As a result, health-focused organisations like UKPC have been more affected by the funding ban.

“There has been so much funding for health, mostly for HIV and AIDS, and very little for advocacy and human rights. Since our organisation is focused mainly on human rights and advocacy, we have not attracted significant funding from the health sector. Also, we chose not to accept certain health-related funds because we feared being pressured into shifting our focus to HIV and AIDS work,” says Dr. Mugisha.

He explains that if SMUG was to include HIV and AIDS work, staff would likely prioritise it over critical human rights issues, such as addressing the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA).

Nonetheless, Dr. Mugisha notes that SMUG now faces a heavy burden, as many organisations that previously handled health-related services but have lost funding are turning to them for help.

“Now, we are seen as the only saviour. We have a very small safety and protection component that responds to human rights violations against individuals at risk. Compared to the funding USAID provided, half a million dollars for just 18 months, what we have is minimal. We don’t even have $100,000 for a year. The burden has increased significantly. People are coming back to SMUG asking: what’s next? What do we do now? They’re also reporting high levels of discrimination at health facilities because the personnel they used to work with have been fired,” he added.

He further explained that funding cuts have led to the dismissal of several staff who were previously supporting vulnerable community members at health facilities. Without them, people are now more exposed to health workers who discriminate against them, which could discourage many from seeking medical care, a dangerous trend.

According to Dr. Mugisha, while SMUG does not receive direct funding from the U.S. government, it participates in a coalition known as Community Led Monitoring, which oversees health facilities to ensure they provide services in line with U.S. regulations and Uganda’s non-discrimination laws.

Unfortunately, Mugisha says this work can no longer continue as before. “We were not just monitoring facilities; we were also providing support to health workers.”

Meanwhile, Lusimbo too raises concerns about the Ministry of Health’s capacity. “Public hospitals are already overwhelmed. If DICs close and thousands are forced into public healthcare, the system will collapse. A doctor seeing 100 patients a week could now see 3,000, leading to substandard care for all Ugandans.”

Through their monitoring efforts, Dr. Mugisha says the coalition had been able to identify facilities where community members were subjected to conversion therapy. They would then work with the local communities to sensitise staff at those facilities.

“We had many facilities where we were changing health workers’ attitudes. Sadly, we can’t do that anymore. For instance, if we found that personnel working with key populations had been transferred, we would work with the facility to find a replacement and offer training to ensure they understood the KPs. Facilities often welcomed this,” he said.

He also added that they monitored facilities for stock needs, such as PrEP, PEP, condoms, and ARVs, and lobbied through other institutions to replenish supplies.

“But importantly, monitors also helped create demand for services at these facilities. If a monitor knew a facility had PrEP, ART, or counselling services available, they would inform the community, encouraging them to seek services there. As a result, all monitored facilities saw increased numbers of community members accessing services. Now, all that has stopped,” he noted.

With funding uncertainty looming, UKPC is developing a sustainability plan in hopes of securing long-term solutions with PEPFAR. However, Lusimbo acknowledges that external funding is drying up, and government support remains unlikely. Across the country, from Gulu and Lira to Mbarara and Kabale, DICs are shutting down due to a lack of resources.

Solutions

Based on their assessment, Dr. Frank Mugisha says U.S. government funding for communities, particularly in health, is effectively ending. He warns that by the end of this year or next year, less than 10% of funding will remain.

He urges other partners to step in and help bridge the gap.

Dr. Mugisha points out that SMUG was shut down years ago, yet the organisation continued to support 20 health-focused community groups.
“This meant we had to operate without funding for a very long time. Communities must now learn to function within new funding realities, there are many things they can do that don’t necessarily require external funding, such as organising, creating demand for services, speaking out, and advocating for access,” he explains.

He also calls on major pharmaceutical companies to start investing directly in communities, noting that these companies often rely on communities for trials and research.

Additionally, Dr. Mugisha encourages donors to fund technology and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives.
“AI can simplify many processes and help bridge the funding gap. If you are using AI and technology to perform tasks, you reduce the reliance on human resources,” he says.

He advocates for communities to embrace new technologies, alternative funding mechanisms, and stronger grassroots organising.

Dr. Mugisha further stresses that the Ugandan government must recognise the LGBT community as a key population with unique needs.
“This is precisely why the Ugandan government and the Ministry of Health agreed to establish drop-in centres, because they realised you cannot effectively reach these communities without working with their peers,” he adds.

However, not all hope is lost. Speaking at the 4th David Kato Kisule Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Kampala, H.E. Ambassador Jan Sadek, Head of the EU Delegation to Uganda, reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to advocating for minority rights both within its member states and globally.

“The level of support and effectiveness of these measures can vary depending on the political climate within partner countries,” Ambassador Sadek noted. “However, we have consistently sought to enhance the protection of LGBTIQ+ individuals’ human rights and foster a more inclusive society—one where leaders, influencers, the media, and the general public openly support marginalized communities. As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated, ‘Being yourself is not your ideology, it’s your identity, and no one can ever take it away.’”

The Ambassador assured that while other global powers may shift their stance, the EU remains steadfast in its core values of human dignity, equality, and respect for human rights.

“That is why I felt it was important to be here today,” he emphasized. “The European Union and its member states remain key allies in this fight, and we will continue to be a reliable partner, offering not only political and financial support but also moral leadership.”