Kenya is losing money for over-policing people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or non-heteronormative (LGBTQ+). The overriding rule that criminalises the LGBTQ+ community in the country falls under the pre-colonial penal code laws which do so on the ambiguous premise of “unnatural offences.” Such a stance impedes global investments by liberal entrepreneurs who find the country hostile.
When President William Ruto was elected in 2022, he, like his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, dismissed the need to ensure equal rights for members of the LGBTQ+ community. In an interview in September 2022, Ruto said that only when matters concerning LGBTQ+ people become a major issue in the country, will Kenyans make a decision. This was similar to former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s stance in 2018, when he said that protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people was not a priority for Kenyans…..
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