Source: The Observer
About one year ago, I was hosted on KFM radio with Rev Fr Simon Lokodo, minister of Ethics and Integrity. With us in the studio was his predecessor in the same ministry and the chief architect of the famous Anti-Pornography Act, Dr James Nsaba Buturo.

During the two-hour talk-show, I maintained that the bill was completely out of line and could not be implemented today.

This was not only because of its draconian content, but poor drafting and ill-conceived intentions of controlling women's dress code and bodily integrity. But Lokodo and Buturo were adamant and stuck to their crusade of 'redeeming' the morally-sick Ugandan women who were shamelessly enticing the otherwise "morally upright men".

As I sat through the talk-show, I was convinced that Uganda was once again under despotic leaders and religious fundamentalists, bent on forcing their personal definition of moral standards onto others.

Just like what happened in Afghanistan under the Taliban, women were the offenders and, therefore, had to be dealt with. I recalled the dreaded Idi Amin regime in the 1970s when we were children and shuddered when reference was made to his authoritative ban of miniskirts.

"How come you women could not dress in minis under Amin?" a question was rudely posed.

This is when it dawned on me that Uganda was back in time to the Amin era. As a strong believer in never repeating history, I now understood the truth in the saying, "Only fools can repeat history".

So here was Lokodo, a Catholic priest, and Nsaba Buturo, a self-professed born-again Christian, ganging up and baying for women's blood as promoters of pornography.

Donning my 'Black Monday' T-shirt and cap, I argued that Uganda's biggest moral catastrophe was the impunity of our leaders, theft of public resources, poor governance, poverty, unemployment, lack of public service delivery and the culture of intolerance.

In response, Lokodo wondered which country I was living in, where all these things were happening. He even questioned my level of decency for associating with the "Black Monday activists" who, according to him, were some immoral, disgruntled and disgraceful Ugandans who were misleading the public.

That was my first encounter with Lokodo. Much as we agreed with him to organise a meeting with the 'Black Monday' group so that he appreciates their noble cause of fighting corruption and theft of public resources, we have not yet had the opportunity.

All said, I have had the last laugh as I see the prime minister and MPs grappling with recalling the Anti-Pornography Act. As usual, our leaders either did not read the proposed law in context or they did not want to listen to people, like myself, that were reading with a critical mind.

As expected, as soon as the bill was signed into law, the largely-idle boda boda cyclists and other goons went on rampage to attack and strip women they thought were inappropriately dressed and, therefore, breaking the Museveni miniskirt law.

Much as the law does not talk about miniskirts, the women's dress code and control of their bodies is blatantly implied in its wording.

According to Lokodo, the law was intended to regulate immorality in all its manifestation. "Look at how our women are dressing, showing off their private parts, their breasts and they are almost naked. These women are immoral. They are enticing the men and that is why they are getting raped."

Lord Jesus!

I wondered what kind of animals Fr Lokodo thought Ugandan men were. Do we only have sexual maniacs that cannot resist women or what? Anyway, those are Lokodo's personal fantasies.

What Fr Lokodo also seems not to appreciate is that rapists and defilers are criminals that attack and sexually assault defenceless and vulnerable females, including baby girls and very old women in busuti or gomesi.

We have also heard about fathers assaulting their daughters, who are not skimpily dressed but their only crime is that they are under the control of a deranged man.

In my opinion, the boda boda cyclists who have not read the law but have listened to Lokodo and his cohorts are justified to take the law into their own hands to undress women and even threaten to rape them.

The blame should be placed on our national leaders who have actually sided with rapists and defilers and failed to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.

The majority of women do not dress for men to see them.

True, there are those that do, but being a woman and a mother to girls and previously a girl, we generally dress because of fashion or looking trendy. Fashion is fun for all females and if it is offensive to the male gender, that is really tough luck on their part.

Therefore, men should not rape us simply because we are feeling good about ourselves in some cool fashion. Women's fashions never last. In one's life time, the same fashion may rebound three or four times; that is if God has granted you long life.

Miniskirts were around in the 1960s, returned in the 90s and now they are almost out of vogue. We are now returning to the maxi or evening gowns. So, why harass women in mini dresses or miniskirts?

Just let them go through that phase of feeling good about their bodies. If you take offence over how young people are dressing, then just know that you are simply out of vogue, outdated and a spent force.

Dressing actually helps women and girls to build their body confidence and develop to their full potential. Men should simply accept us as we are, just animals of fashion and God's beautiful creation.

In case you are enticed by the trend, just back off but do not maliciously harm what you cannot have.

The author is a woman activist and a former MP in the East African Parliament.

• Uganda