Ugandan influencer clarifies gay sentiments in leaked video; says he was promised foreign visa

A Ugandan influencer identified as Sammie Manini has distanced himself from homosexuality sentiments portrayed in a leaked video.

Manini was reportedly featured in a documentary produced by German broadcasting house Deutsche Welle (DW) in 2016 while covering a story about homosexuality in Uganda.

In the video, he makes a call to what appears to be a male client giving him directions to his alleged home. When the client arrives, he undresses and Manini begins giving him a massage.

The narrator reported that the influencer runs a prostitution business disguised as a massage parlour.

On Saturday, Manini, who is currently in Rwanda, shared images of his wife and child as he clarified that he was not a homosexual contrary to his sentiments in the documentary.

"I am not what I used to be so many years ago. There's always a time for change. God reigns," he began.

The influencer admitted that he sought for a visa to Germany in 2016 but did not succeed. Therefore, when the broadcasting company allegedly promised to help with the visa application in exchange for a feature in a homosexuality story, he obliged. 

"In 2016, I was approached by this lady journalist who works with DW TV, a German based TV and requested to act and be recorded in a documentary upon several promises and I was paid to act whatever you saw in the video," Manini explained.

He sought for an apology over the homophobic sentiments, claiming "I only did this for money because of the unfavorable financial conditions I was in at the time."

Manini cautioned people seeking visas to avoid falling prey to such tricks "as there is always a regrettable end."

This comes days after the Ugandan parliament unanimously passed the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill imposing tougher punishment for persons who identify as members of the LGBTQ community.

According to the bill, any person who identifies as gay faces life imprisonment.