Protester disrupts funeral of gay activist

Police had to intervene after a homophobic outburst from Anglican priest Thomas Musoke led to a scuffle midway through yesterday's funeral, and Mr Musoke was escorted away.

While no one was hurt in the melee, gay rights campaigners said they had received threats that their cars would be stoned as they left the service.

Mr Kato's killing comes after a year of stepped up threats against gays in Uganda, where a bill has proposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts.

However, Ugandan authorities say his sexual orientation had nothing to do with his death, and that he was slain by robbers.

In a statement earlier this week, police said they had arrested one suspect and were looking for another.

But gay rights campaigners at the funeral insisted that Mr Kato's death was linked to his activism and that the government had failed to protect gays in the country.

"What happened disgraced this nation and disgraced the soul of the person who had died," activist Julian Pepe Onziema said.

US President Barack Obama called on the Ugandan government to hold the perpetrators accountable.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder," Mr Obama said in a statement.

"David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom."

Mr Kato, who had been threatened multiple times, was found with serious wounds to his head caused by an attack with a hammer at his home. He died on the way to the hospital.

A Ugandan tabloid newspaper called Rolling Stone had listed a number of men they said were homosexuals last year, including Mr Kato.

Mr Kato's picture was published on the front page, along with his name and a headline that said Hang Them.