For LGBTQ Kenyans, court win prompts backlash as threats escalate

Kenya’s lesbians and gays had mixed feelings over a supreme court verdict allowing their rights association to register as a non-governmental organization.

The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) welcomed February’s verdict reversing the national board that supervises NGOs’ ban on it as a tiny confirmation of LGBTQ For LGBTQ Kenyans, court win prompts backlash as threats escalate’ role in society.

The verdict has also sparked a dangerous backlash in a country where same-sex actions are still punished by 14 years in prison.

President William Ruto said he appreciated the highest court’s judgment but “it doesn’t mean we have to agree with it,” a more moderate response than many other leaders.

NGLHRC activists describe an increase in community threats. The commission reported 367 abuse calls in March, up from 78 in January.

Last week, 10 motorcycle riders stopped a 31-year-old lesbian on a motorbike taxi on Nairobi’s outskirts.

The woman, who begged not to be named, told Reuters that they surrounded her, pushed her, and shouted “one of them” (homosexual) before a couple walking by intervened and the throng departed.

“Things have gotten worse after the ruling and Uganda’s recent introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” she said, referring to a draft law passed by Uganda’s parliament last month that would criminalize LGBTQ identity and establish the death sentence for same-sex conduct.

Kenya remains an LGBTQ refuge in a tough region. Its colonial-era anti-gay law is rarely implemented.

The court said the NGO board’s prohibition on NGLHRC breached fundamental freedoms of association and anti-discrimination.

The NGLHRC reports that employer, landlord, and healthcare provider prejudice is rising, and one lawmaker has threatened to draft a measure imposing a life sentence for gay activities.

For 15-year LGBTQ activist Kevin Mwachiro, this is Kenya’s most difficult time.

People think they can attack you. “They feel they have that right because of what the press and government have said,” he remarked.