Simon Lokodo (28 October 1957 – 29 January 2022) was a Ugandan politician who served as Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity in the Office of the

President of Uganda The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The President (government title), president leads the Executive (government), executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander- ...

since 2011. Previously, he was the Minister of State for Industry from 2009 to 2011. He also served as the elected Member of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

representing Dodoth County,

Kaabong District Kaabong District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. The district headquarters are in the similarly named town of Kaabong. Location Kaabong District is bordered by South Sudan to the north ...

since 2006 until he lost his Parliamentary seat in January 2021 after so many of his previous accusing him of supporting the act removal of age limit from the presidential aspirants. He also served as a member of the

Uganda Human Rights Commission The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) serves to monitor and advance human rights in Uganda. The UHRC is a body established under the 1995 Constitution Article 51 under the Bill of Rights found in Chapter four of the Constitution. It is bas ...

Background and education

Lokodo was born in

on 28 October 1957. Simon Lokodo held the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...

. His

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in Theology was also obtained from the same university of Rome. He also held 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 Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

, Uganda's oldest university; founded in 1922. Lokodo also held a Certificate in German Language obtained from an institution in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and a Certificate in French Language, obtained from an institution in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Political career

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. He was suspended from his priestly duties by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

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. 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. He was well known 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." He also blamed foreigners, saying they should "go back home". Amnesty International condemned the raid. In 2014,

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

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 he had attempted 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. He served as the elected Member of

representing Dodoth County,

until he lost his Parliamentary seat in January 2021. At the time of his death on 29 January 2022, he was serving as a member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission.

Personal life and death

Lokodo was reported to speak and write fluent

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. He died in Geneva on 29 January 2022, at the age of 64 from COVID-19.

References

External links

Website of the Parliament of Uganda

Website of the State House of Uganda

Full Ministerial Cabinet List, June 2006

Full Ministerial Cabinet List, February 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lokodo, Simon 1957 births 2022 deaths People from Kaabong District Makerere University alumni Members of the 9th Parliament of Uganda Government ministers of Uganda National Resistance Movement politicians Rape Ugandan Roman Catholics People excommunicated by the Catholic Church Politicians from Northern Region, Uganda Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland Members of the 10th Parliament of Uganda

Background and education

Political career

Personal life and death

See also

References

External links