The ruling was issued by the Supreme Court last month. Kenyan authorities had banned LGBT+ advocacy organisation National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) based on the country's ban on homosexuality. So the Court put a stop to that. He reasoned that the ban on homosexuality does not mean that LGBT+ people are not allowed to organise themselves and fight for emancipation.
The statement sparked anger and outrage across the country. From national politics to the Anglican Church. Kenyan Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit sees the LGBT+ community as a strategy by radical climate activists to depopulate the planet.
Politicians also made homophobic noises. Kenya is being ruined by the West, MPs suggest. Several government officials are making similar claims, including the Minister of Education. The president has said he regrets the ruling, but accepts it. He does emphasise that homosexuality is "unacceptable". According to the vice president, homosexuality is “the devil”.
Nevertheless, the Court's ruling is positive for LGBT+ people in the country, according to the NGLHRC. Director Njeri Gateru calls it a "triumph for justice and human rights".
Anti-LGBT+ sentiment is on the rise in East Africa. Online conspiracy theories about LGBT+ people are circulating in both Kenya and Uganda, in which homosexuals are said to be recruiting children. Homosexuality is said to be un-African and forced upon by the West, although the laws prohibiting homosexuality have their roots in colonial times.
In Kenya, homosexuality is prohibited by law, with a prison sentence of 14 years. An MP has now introduced a law that would make this a life sentence. It is striking that “gay propaganda” would also be punished with life imprisonment.