The Supreme Court last month the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning persons or the community (LGBT) community the form a lobby group.
The Supreme Court of Kenya on Friday, February 24 ruled that the NGO Board’s decision to bar homosexuals from forming recognized groups is discriminatory.
The ruling gives power to homosexuality and gay association to be formally recognized by the Non-Governmental Organizations Coordination Board.
The ruling has since elicited sharp reactions from Kenyan political and religious leaders majority of whom have condemned the ruling.
For instance, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday, March 2, wondered why the Supreme Court made such a ruling.
Speaking who was speaking during the launch of the Women Fund at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) stated that the ruling got him by surprise.
“I was shocked and even wondered what I could say. Do you know that there are times when you can be shocked until you have nothing to say? We are hearing that there is an organization that wants to defend same-sex marriage. What is that?
“We have no problem with the court but we have to ask what they imagine when a woman marries another woman. We do not have that and that is against our beliefs,” Gachagua stated.
Same-sex activity is prohibited under the Penal Code 1930, which criminalizes acts of ‘gross indecency’ and ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature’.
Currently, the law stipulates a 14-year jail term for those found guilty of engaging in homosexuality.
However, Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament is now proposing severe penalties for those who will be found guilty.
“I intend to bring legislation to criminalize and punish homosexuality and other unnatural sexual acts and to further criminalize the promotion of such acts in Kenya,” the MP said in a notice of motion to national Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
