| Intro | Ugandan politician |
| Is | Politician |
| From | Uganda |
| Type | Politics |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 28 October 1957, Uganda |
| Age: | 62 years |
Simon Lokodo is a Ugandan politician. He is the State Minister of Ethics & Integrity in the Office of the President, in the Cabinet of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 27 May 2011. He replaced Nsaba Buturo. Before that, he served as the State Minister for Industry from February 2009 until May 2011. In the cabinet reshuffle of 1 March 2015, he retained his cabinet post. He is also the elected member of parliament representing Dodoth County, Kaabong District. He was first elected to that position on 29 June 2006.
Background and education
He was born in Kaabong District on 28 October 1957. Simon Lokodo holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University. His Master of Arts in Theology was also obtained from the same university of Rome. He also holds 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, Uganda’s oldest university; founded in 1922. Lokodo also holds a Certificate in German Language obtained from an institution in Austria and a Certificate in French Language, obtained from an institution in Paris, France.
Political career
At the age of 49, Lokodo first entered politics in June 2006 to contest in a special election where the incumbent member of parliament had died of natural causes. Before that, he was the parish priest for Kaabong Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotido. He was ex-communicated from the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI when he joined 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.
He is 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 interviewed Lokodo in Stephen Fry: Out There, where he was quoted as saying “…men raping girls. Which is natural.”
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.
Personal life
He is reported to speak and write fluent English, Italian, French, German, and Spanish.