Nairobi – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta called it a “non-issue”. The White House said “gay rights are human rights” and noted that US President Barack Obama would likely raise the issue when he lands in Nairobi for a three-day visit, headlined by the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
When they meet Saturday at State House in Nairobi for bilateral talks, the two presidents thus will be walking on eggshells when they discuss the matter, because Kenyatta’s political lieutenants, led by the Deputy President William Ruto have made it clear that Kenya will not tolerate gays.
The civil society organisation in Kenya advocating for gay rights; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) have been agitating for Obama to address the issue when he visits Kenya, hoping he would at least reiterate the view that gay rights are also human rights.
Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya and gay marriages are outlawed under Kenya’s constitution. Nevertheless, the High Court in Nairobi recently noted that the Constitution protects the rights of minorities, and that the homosexual community is considered to fall into this category. It ordered the Attorney General and the non-governmental organisation coordination board to register a gay and lesbian rights organisation.
With largely conservative Christian and Muslim populations and the routine imprisonment of gays in parts of the continent, Africa is widely perceived as homophobic. But the White House has signalled that it would not remain silent on the issue.
When asked on Thursday whether Obama would address the gay agenda, Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice said it was an “issue of universal human rights”.
“President Obama feels very strongly, as do all of us in the administration that gay rights are human rights. And whether we’re in Washington D.C. or somewhere in Asia or in Africa, that is something that we do not shy away from underscoring, as the president did during his last trip to Africa and many other parts of the world. So this is not something that we think is a topic we reserve for certain parts of the world and not others. If appropriate, I have no doubt that the president will feel perfectly free to raise his concerns,” said Rice.
For President Kenyatta, the gay debate is not high on the agenda while Kenya battles security threats, corruption and political instability. His priority is business, trade, counter-terrorism.
“(Gay rights debate) is a non-issue to the people of this country and it is definitely not in our agenda at all …as a country and as a continent we are faced with more serious issues which we would want to engage the US and our partners with, I don’t think I have much to say about things which my constituency is not really interested in,” said Kenyatta on Tuesday when the question was put to him at a press briefing at State House.
Two activists have remarked that the preoccupation with gay rights in the run-up to the Obama visit, was “unhelpful, bordering on the ridiculous”, given that the Kenyan government stood accused of violating basic rights, extrajudicial killings by police, arbitrary arrests and harassment of civil society groups.
“Journalists could ask what Obama will say about threats to civil society groups – including groups that government officials branded as ‘terrorists’ because they document abuses and support victims of counter-terrorism operations at the coast. The media could also look into Kenya’s mistreatment of Somali refugees, impunity for the 2007-2008 post-election violence, and debilitating levels of corruption that undermine the ability of security forces to effectively address terrorism.
“All of these issues affect millions of Kenyans and go to the heart of Kenya’s most fundamental problems — lack of accountability and the political will to protect the rule of law,” noted Neela Ghoshal and Leslie Lefkow in an article published on Thursday in the Huffington Post.
Ghoshal is Senior Researcher in the LGBT Rights Program and Leslie Lefkow is Deputy Director of the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch.
Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto has been outspoken on the gay issue, noting that Kenya was a God-fearing country and would not entertain growing calls for respect for gay rights. In a church, addressing worshippers less than a month ago, he reiterated that homosexuality was “against God’s plan, was anti-Christian and against human nature” and added that it amounted to “defying cultural and religious values”.
The deputy president vowed to support religious leaders in their stance.
“We will defend our country Kenya; we will stand for what is right, we will stand for our faith and we will stand for our country. Homosexuality is dirty and against God’s plans. God didn’t create man and woman so that men can marry fellow men and women can engage with fellow women and no amount of persuasion, theory and philosophy is going to change our position. We believe in God, this is a God-fearing nation and will continue being one. We are firm and determined because it’s in our faith to defend our religion and our country and those who want to engage in those businesses can do that in their own countries. In Kenya, we will defend our faith, nation and religion,” he said.
The same tone was also adopted by the leader of majority party in the National Assembly, Aden Duale, who said if Obama wanted to push for gay marriage on Kenyan soil, the Muslim community would object. Duale is a Muslim.
Bishop Mark Kariuki, the chairman of Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, in an interview noted that the church objected to homosexuality, and said as a God-fearing nation Kenya would not support the gay rights movement.
“Our young people will start thinking that that is a way of life and some will be drawn into it without knowing and we need to protect them. Obama’s visit gives Kenya political mileage but we don’t want it to destroy our morals or faith. When he comes we are asking him to respect the moral and faith of Kenyans and not make it his main agenda. He is coming for an economic conference, let him concentrate on that. Homosexuality is against moral values and is an attack on the family,” Bishop Kariuki said.
A Kenyan group announced its intention to stage a demonstration of 5,000 naked men and women to protest against gay marraige during the Obama visit.
South Africa is the only African country that recognises homosexuality in its constitution.
“Homophobia and transphobia come and go in waves in Kenya. LGBTI groups in Kenya remain vigilant and concerned about how their rights will be protected under Kenya’s constitution. But the circus atmosphere surrounding the Obama visit, complete with proposed ‘naked marches’ to protest Obama’s support for equal rights, should not be taken as an indication that there will be a long-term uptake in anti-LGBTI policy in Kenya,” Ghoshal and Lefkow said.
When Kenyatta and Obama meet and have to negotiate a way around the thorny subject, many will be watching.
ANA