Lesbian Makena Njeri challenged President-elect William Ruto to recognize the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+).
Njeri cautioned Ruto that the rights of LGBTQ members couldn’t be downplayed anymore because the community is very much alive in the country.
“Good morning. LGBTQ rights are human rights that we can’t downplay anymore. It is an issue that requires your attention as our president. The community is alive and has been here for a long time,” Makena Njeri wrote.
Njeri was reacting to Ruto’s comment about LGBTQ+ community in Kenya while speaking during an interview with CNN.
“On LGBTQ, I am very clear that we respect everybody and what they believe in, but we also have what we believe in and we expect to be respected for what we believe in,” Ruto said.
He further added that he would follow the law in regard to the LGBTQ issue.
“We have Kenyan law, we have Kenyan constitution, we have our traditions, we have our customs, and we will continue to respect other people’s customs as they respect our customs and our traditions,” he said.
Kenya’s constitution forbids homosexuality in its entirety.
Days after Makena Njeri challenged Ruto to recognize the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, 16 homosexuals were arrested whole demonstrating in the city.
The 16 were among other members of the LGBTQ community were headed to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) offices to present their grievances when they were intercepted and arrested.
The 16, who are all foreigners, were rounded up along General Mathenge road in the Gingiri area where they were holding demonstrations on September 8. They include 12 men and six women.
The suspects include four Rwandese, five Burundi nationals, and seven Congolese. They denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate William Tullen at the Kibera Law Courts.
The defense lawyer Kennedy Murunga from Kituo Cha Sheria told the court that the suspects had duly notified the police of their intended procession.
