Ugandan authorities are to dissolve 38 non-governmental organisations believed to promote homosexuality and “recruit” children into a gay lifestyle.

Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo (pictured) told Reuters the NGOs being targeted were receiving financial support from pro-gay foreigners.

“The NGOs are channels through which monies are channelled to (homosexuals) to recruit,” he said.

This is just the latest of many crackdowns on gay rights in the east African nation.

In February, a gay rights meeting in the town of Entebbe was raided by police on orders from Lokodo.

The raid was an “outrageous attempt to prevent lawful and peaceful activities of human rights defenders”, Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty said.

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and offenders can face life imprisonment if convicted of homosexual acts.

A bill outlawing “promotion” of homosexuality, which would make it an offence to provide financial support to GLBT people, is pending in Ugandan parliament.

An earlier version of the bill included a clause calling for the death penalty for those convicted of homosexual acts, but this is expected to be dropped following international condemnation.

Responding to growing criticism of his latest move, Lokodo said in a statement Friday that the government does not discriminate against GLBT people.

“No government official is (supposed) to harass any section of the community and everybody in Uganda enjoys the freedom to lawfully assemble and associate freely with others,” the statement said.