By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The deputy president of Kenya, Rigathi Gachagua, says his country maintains its decision not to “condone” same-sex relations in the East African country.
Speaking on Thursday at a programme to mark International Women’s Day in the capital Nairobi, Gachagua cited the need to protect Kenya’s customs and traditions.
He noted that Kenya will resist any attempt at imposing the same-sex relations on its population.
“We shall not condone any attempts to legitimize LGBTQ actions in Kenya. Our values must be respected, and in no way shall we turn back,” he tweeted.
The deputy president’s comments come barely a month, after President William Ruto, stated that the laws of the country will apply in the matter of same-sex relations.
He told Christiane Amanpour of CNN that homosexuality and issues around it were, however, not a ‘real issue’ for ordinary Kenyans, as compared to issues of unemployment and hunger.
Similarly, the Ugandan parliament this week, introduced a bill targeted at punishing the promotion of activities of gays.
A lawmaker, Asuman Basalirwa said his bill would punish “promotion, recruitment and funding” related to LGBTQ activities, a bill which attracted the support of other lawmakers in the parliamentary chamber in Uganda’s capital Kampala, as they stood up to show solidarity.
Homosexuality is largely illegal across most parts of the African continent with people engaging in it liable to jail terms.
Kenya has a strong LGBTQ+ community that has often protested to highlight their plight.
Recent events in the country show the same-sex advocacy drive in Kenya. The murder of a fashionista and known gay, Edwin Chiloba, and a Supreme Court ruling that LGBTQ groups can be legally registered under Kenyan laws are clear pointers.
