Tag: kenya

Gays flee Mombasa over public attacks

Hundreds of men who have sex with men at the Coast have moved away from major towns for fear of their lives. According to statistics by the Mtwapa Initiative for Positive Empowerment, an organisation working with MSMs in Mombasa and Kilifi counties, more than 200 of the men now avoid public health facilities. Mipe says… Read more »

African Anglican bishops warn Church of England to back off on gay issue

The leaders of the Anglican Church in Uganda and Kenya have warned the Church of England to back off on LGBTI issues after the Archbishop of Canterbury reminded them of their responsibility to support and care for gay people African bishops have reacted to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s letter reminding them of their duty… Read more »

Writer Tells Africa What He Couldn’t Tell ‘Mum’

Nairobi, Kenya — When the Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina published his acclaimed memoir three years ago, he concealed an important part of his life from the public eye. Last Saturday, he unveiled “a lost chapter” of the book on the Internet titled, “I am a homosexual, mum.” The chapter, about missing the opportunity to tell… Read more »

Famous Kenyan author comes out as gay in birthday article

A prominent author in Kenya has come out as gay, in a country where homosexuality remains illegal. Binyavanga Wainaina made the announcement in an article for his 43rd birthday entitled: “I am a homosexual, mum.” “Nobody, nobody, ever in my life has heard this,” Mr Wainaina wrote in the article published first on the Africa… Read more »

Kenya judges get ready for major gay legal battle

Kenya’s refusal to register an LGBTI organization is set to become a legal showdown between gay activists and anti-gay forces, raising ‘deep’ constitutional issues Kenya is forming a three-judge panel to review whether officials breached the Constitution by refusing to register an LGBTI organization. It could be a landmark case as it raises the question… Read more »

10 clerics trained to handle gay people

Ten religious leaders yesterday graduated in a course on homosexuals. The leaders from the Muslim and Christian realm were among 35 graduates who completed a two-and-a-half-month training dubbed ‘Men who have Sex with Men sensitivity training’. The course was organised by the Kenya Medical Research Institute at Mtwapa Kemri centre in Mombasa. “The course is… Read more »

Gay men hacked with machetes and murdered in wave of hate crimes in Kenya

One man dies from attacks. Group points to fallout from discredited study on gays and blames religious extremists for whipping up hatred Gay men have been slashed with machetes and beaten with hammers in a series of hate attacks in Kenya which have already claimed at least one life. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of… Read more »

Kenya’s gay movement seeks stamp of approval

The gay community is working day and night to transform itself from a fringe group to one that enjoys official legitimacy from the government and Kenyans in general. Today this community has found representation in legitimate government-run organisations formed to fight HIV, ostensibly to highlight the plight of homo sexual people afflicted by Aids. Experts… Read more »

Gay Somali refugees face death threats

Gay, lesbian and HIV-infected refugees fear violent persecution should they return home. Nairobi, Kenya – Gay, lesbian and HIV-infected refugees from Somalia are facing persecution – and even the threat of death – should they return home. Refugees have been under pressure to leave accommodations in Kenya, where many also face racist discrimination, after claims… Read more »

Men who walk on the wild side

They are not gay, they are not bisexual. They are just men who like to experiment with other men. What does this mean for you? David says he is looking forward to married life. In fact, the 32-year-old banker has been in a serious relationship for two years with a woman he fondly describes as… Read more »

Police shut down IDAHO gay march in Kenya

Police stop LGBT community from holding procession aimed at stopping homosexuality being a criminal offence Police in Kenya have stopped people marching through the capital Nairobi today (17 May) to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). A permit had been issued to allow Kenyan LGBTs and supporters to procession. But this morning police… Read more »

Feature: Emerging LGBTI Activists And Leaders In Kenya

Every Year, Identity Kenya will be putting out a list of Emerging LGBTI Activists and Leaders to honor the work and contribution these individuals have given for the movement and who continue to support, mobilize, petition and advocate for equality and non-discrimination in Kenya. According to Queer Watchtower who is in the selection panel, the… Read more »

Kenya – Blackmailers Flee As Police Hunt Intensifies

Blackmailers Targeting gay men have moved out of Nairobi and are located in Mombasa and Kisumu after police launched investigations in a bid to arrest them. According to the latest reports, the blackmailers who operate as a gang abandoned a house in Embakasi estate where they used as their center of operations to swindle and… Read more »

A Gay Kenyan’s Gang Rape (Part 1): The Blessing

On the morning of Dec. 11, 2007, Anthony Adero decided to leave his hometown forever and head to the capital, because he wanted to kiss a man for the first time in his life. He packed the few essentials needed for his five-hour trip, little things that carry weight, like family photographs and a prerecorded… Read more »

Kenya: To Fight HIV & AIDS, Recognise Sex Workers

This Year’s World Aids Day was observed under the theme: “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero Aids-related deaths”. The theme is a rallying call for greater access to treatment for all and for governments to act more decisively in putting in place policies that enhance prevention and behaviour change. Kenya has… Read more »

Kenya promises arrest of gay blackmailing gang

Nairobi police are urging gay people to come forward to aid investigations of a group known for extorting, and sometimes raping, gay men and women Police have promised to arrest the ringleaders of a notorious gang which targets closeted gay men for extortion, blackmail and rape. Speaking to gay activists, Nairobi police officer Akello Odhiambo… Read more »

Kenya’s first gay political candidate reveals why he quit race

Rights activists hail anti-poverty and Aids activist David Kuria as a pioneer despite aborted election campaign David Kuria was the first openly gay black person in Africa to run for political office outside South Africa. It was a brave campaign against the odds that will not have a Hollywood ending. But David Kuria, forced to… Read more »

Kenya: Rights Groups Hold Kenya’s First Gay and Lesbian Awards

Nairobi — The Kenya Human Rights Commission and the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission on Saturday launched the first gay and lesbian awards to honour lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexual and intersex people for their contributions to Kenyan society. The event, which was held at Charter Hall in Nairobi, saw politicians, employers and journalists… Read more »

Kenya celebrates positive contributions of LGBT people

Human rights groups in Kenya have joined together to celebrate the positive contributions of LGBT people and their allies to Kenyan society Kenya’s Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and National Gay and Lesbian Rights Commission (NGLHRC) have launched an annual awards ceremony to celebrate the contributions of LGBT people to Kenyan society and to celebrate allies… Read more »

I am Very Out and Confident…

“It’s been a long journey, a challenging journey, coming to terms with my sexuality. I was just starting to get comfortable with it when I was sexually abused, so it has been a difficult time in my life. “Around the time he was abused, four years ago, he also found out he was positive. “To… Read more »

Reasons for Withdrawing from the Kiambu Senate Race

Last evening I received a message from the most ardent of the supporters saying; “hi Senator Dave. I have done ma part which’s starting to turn sour coz of ua unavailability. Plz advice…” I just wondered how I could reply to that message. You see over the last couple of months, I have been promising… Read more »

Kenya political campaign puts gay taboo in spotlight

Kiambu, Kenya (Reuters) – An anti-poverty campaigner has become Kenya’s first openly gay man to run for political office, but David Kuria Mbote faces a challenging path as he tries to dispel taboos in the largely conservative Christian nation in a race for a senate seat. If elected to the Kenyan senate, Mbote, 40, would… Read more »

The Gray Area of Gay Refugees

A gay Ugandan couple fled to a Kenyan refugee camp after being disowned by their families and threatened by their community Nairobi, Kenya — The two tender, soft-spoken Ugandans shared a circle of good friends back in their hometown of Kampala. They were close with their families and they started a restaurant together. Life was… Read more »

Kenya: The Gray Area of Gay Refugees

A gay Ugandan couple fled to Uganda, thousands of kilometers from home with little more than the clothes on their backs. They came as brothers to live in a scorching refugee camp in northern Kenya. Surrounded by thousands of others who have fled wars and drought in neighboring countries, they came here to save their… Read more »