Is Kenya Next?

Jim Burroway

February 19th, 2014

Uganda’s neighbor to the east has been spared some of the more excessive displays of anti-gay hatred commonly found along its western border. That may be about to change:

Five MPs have declared an onslaught on homosexuality, which includes rallying the public to arrest gay people where police fail to act.

Through a newly formed parliamentary caucus, the lawmakers will also be rallying their colleagues in Parliament to fully enforce relevant parts of the law that prohibits gay practice.

The caucus to fight gayism in Kenya was launched on Tuesday to coordinate all plans and activities meant to fight it.

It was announced in Parliament just a day after US President Barack Obama issued a statement urging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni not to sign into law a Bill banning gayism in the neighbouring country.

The MPs want the National Security Committee of the National Assembly to summon the Attorney-General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Registrar General of Companies to explain how gay practice continues to thrive in the country despite being prohibited in the laws of the land.

Mr Irungu Kang’ata (Kiharu), Mr Julius Ndegwa (Lamu West) Mr John Njoroge (Kasarani), Mr Clement Wambugu (Mathioya) and Mr Stephen Kinyanjui (Kinangop) said they will lobby Kenyans to maintain harsh anti-gay laws and Parliament to tighten the current law.

Kenya’s colonial-era sodomy law currently provides up to fourteen years’ imprisonment upon conviction. Daily Nation warns that the MPs are “stoking intolerance“:

It may well be that they are alarmed by some recent cases of high-profile personalities coming out of the closet and the growing visibility of gay rights campaigns.

However, one must also wonder whether the group has its priorities right. It is probable that the MPs have been inspired by the strong anti-gay laws passed in some African countries, notably neighbouring Uganda.

It is also likely that they want to make a statement aimed at American President Barack Obama, who has become a stringent critic of the Ugandan laws.

If that is the case, then it should be apparent that the MPs’ caucus is inspired more by the need to score political propaganda points rather than to safeguard sexual morality. It is true that Kenya has laws against homosexual sex, but the MPs cannot demand that people be jailed merely because they declare that they are gay.

Kenyan gay rights activist Denis Nzioka worries that pressure may be building for Ugandan- or Nigerian-style anti-gay legislation.  And as with Uganda, he sees American Evangelical influence as part of the problem:

Consider, for example, Project SEE , an American organisation, that has been campaigning against homosexuality and abortion in Kenya. They took things further in 2008/9 when they designed posters calling for the murder of the then most visible gay activist at that time, David Kuria.

…In 2011/12, I was able to detail the influence – subtle at first – of American evangelical churches in the rising anti-gay wave that is sweeping Kenyan in 2014.

The East Africa Center for Law and Justice waded into the homosexuality arena when it published several articles – from 2010 – on homosexuality. Clearly leaning towards not accepting homosexuality, the heavily US Evangelical funded, supported organsiation continued with its anti-gay literary all through to 2013 .

The East Africa Center for Law and Justice is an overseas branch of the American Center for Law and Justice, which was founded by Pat Robertson and is currently headed by Jay Sekulow. Political Research Associates’ Kapya Kaoma reported on the ACLJ and EACLJ (and another ACLJ affiliate in Zimbabwe) in 2010:

As in many other African countries, Kenya’s colonial-era penal code already criminalized gay sex; however, the constitution that the Parliament submitted to Kenyans for ratification in August 2010 was silent on homosexuality while barring discrimination of any kind. The EACLJ feared that would create a loophole for homosexuality (and the local LGBT community agreed). The proposed constitution also protected access to abortions deemed medically necessary to protect the health of the woman, which Jordan Sekulow characterized as “abortion on demand” to CBN News’ Morning program. He added that ACLJ was “trying to educate people on this [abortion on demand] because the government of Kenya is saying that this is not what it means; but we know how it plays in courts.” Despite their efforts and investing “tens of thousands” of dollars (according to Sekulow), the ACLJ and its allies were unable to change the draft or defeat the constitution at the polls in August 2010.

Yet even these minor concessions to protecting LGBT persons and women’s lives cannot stand, according to the director of the East African Center for Law and Justice.”The current constitution promotes gay rights and abortion,” Joy Mdivo, the executive director, told PRA. “We are working on going to court over those two issues. We shall also carry out further civic education to warn people of the dangers of homosexuality and abortion in Kenya.”

Steve

February 19th, 2014

And more American religious fanatics inciting hatred and causing harm. Not just to gay people, but thousands of women as well.

Nathaniel

February 19th, 2014

I wonder how much of this is rooted in Old Imperialism. One of the driving forces behind the expansion of European and American empires was ‘Christian’ concern for saving the souls of non-whites living in other lands. Has this twisted on itself, forming new empires under the thumb of churches and Christian organizations? Oh the irony of rejecting western inclusion in the name of western imperialism!

Mary in Austin

February 19th, 2014

It’s time for tourism boycotts and trade sanctions.

SharonB

February 19th, 2014

Mt 23:15 in action.

Timothy Kincaid

February 19th, 2014

Matthew 23 is not the favorite chapter of today’s Culture War Christians.

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.