Uganda Drops Case Against Two Women Arrested Over Alleged Public Kissing

Ugandan prosecutors have discontinued the case against two young women who were arrested after being accused of kissing in public under the country’s controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act.

The two women, identified as Wendy Faith, 22, and Alesi Diana Denise, 21, were arrested in Arua City, north-western Uganda, in February 2026 following a complaint from residents who alleged that they had been engaging in same-sex activities.

According to reports, police arrested the women on February 18, 2026, after receiving information from members of the community who claimed they had seen the pair kissing and engaging in what authorities described as “queer and unusual acts.”

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The arrest attracted international attention because the women were detained under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, one of the world’s strictest laws targeting same-sex relationships, which provides severe penalties, including life imprisonment for certain offences.

Human rights organisations criticised the arrest, calling for the women’s release and arguing that the law has contributed to increased fear, discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ people in Uganda.

The women were later released on bail while investigations continued, but prosecutors have now officially withdrawn the case, according to human rights activist Frank Mugisha, who announced that Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions had discontinued the matter.

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The decision to drop the case has been welcomed by rights activists, although they continue to call for broader reforms, including the repeal of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act.

The incident had become one of the most publicly discussed cases involving the enforcement of Uganda’s anti-gay legislation, with activists warning that the law has encouraged surveillance, arrests and social hostility against members of the LGBTQ community.

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, passed in 2023, criminalises same-sex conduct and imposes harsh punishments, including life imprisonment for some offences and the death penalty for cases classified as “aggravated homosexuality.”

While the charges against Wendy and Diana have been dropped, the broader debate over the country’s anti-gay laws continues, with supporters defending the legislation on cultural and religious grounds, while critics argue that it violates fundamental human rights.

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The withdrawal of the case means the two women will no longer face prosecution over the allegations that brought them before authorities, but rights groups say the development does not remove concerns about the wider impact of the law on vulnerable communities in Uganda.

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