In February, David Bahati, the mover of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill (previous story) is expected to attend a prayer breakfast in the American capitol of Washington in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Bahati, according to reports, may speak at the event where U.S. President Barack Obama is also expected to attend. On Friday, Mr Bahati said he would attend. The event is organized by The Fellowship- a conservative Christian organization, which has deep political connections and counts several high-ranking conservative politicians in its membership.

“I intend to attend the prayer breakfast,” said Mr. Bahati – himself a part organiser of the Ugandan equivalent of the national prayer breakfast. This week, citing international pressure, President Yoweri Museveni advised his party’s National Executive Committee, his cabinet and the NRM parliamentary caucus to “go slow” on the Bill (previous story).

“The nature of legislation is such that one cannot have a final version. There are bound to be amendments but the process will go on,” he said.  The entire affair has given the Museveni administration its worst spate of bad publicity in recent times.

Mr Museveni called it a foreign policy matter – elevating the Bill to the status of other concerns for the government like its engagement in the African Union and the United Nations Security Council.

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the former minister of internal affairs, who is now Uganda’s representative at the United Nations.

Uganda President Museveni also revealed that he had received several phone calls from world leaders, including from U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.  His reaction, say observers, shows that the Uganda government is taking the issue seriously enough.

“We need to protect our children and stop recruitment,” he says.

Uganda has been warned that passing the law would lead to sanctions from the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.