Kenyan LGBTQ community hoists rainbow flag at the peak of Mt Kenya
Members of the Kenyan lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community this weekend hoisted a rainbow flag at the peak of Mt Kenya during an initiative dubbed #ClimbforJustice.
Despite homosexuality being illegal in Kenya, there have been increased cases of members of the LGBT community coming out to publicly express themselves.
#ClimbforJustice is an initiative by human rights activists whose aim is to raise funds for the construction of a safe house for Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Kenya.
In May this year, High Court judges Roselyne Aburili, Chacha Mwita, and John Mativo declined to decriminalize gay sex in Kenya, ruling that Section 162 (a) and (c) of Kenya’s Penal Code clearly states that homosexuality is illegal in Kenya.
The petitioner, National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC), had requested the court to repeal these sections of the Penal Code to make gay sex legal.
The court further dismissed the petitioner’s claims that the Kenyan LGBTQ community would continue to be stigmatized if homosexuality remained a criminal offense.
Last week, NGLHRC indicated it will appeal the ruling at the Court of Appeal.