Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta has said that Kenya is not yet ready to have the debate on legalizing gays, saying the issue is neither acceptable nor agreeable.
While reacting to the sticky issue that has dominated western media in recent weeks, Kenyatta said that for Kenya, gay relations are not an issue of human rights but rather societal values.
He said that the majority of Kenyans do not accept homosexuality as it goes against cultural norms.
President Kenyatta who is currently in London to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was speaking to CNN in an interview with Christian Amanpour.
“This [homosexuality] is not an issue of human rights. This is an issue of society, of our own base as a people regardless of where you come from,” Kenyatta said.
“This is not acceptable, it is not agreeable,” he added.
His comments come months after the LGBT campaigners in Kenya filed a petition to have some sections considered harsh on gays repealed from Kenya’s Penal Code. LGBT rights activists say Kenya’s laws violate constitutional rights to equality, dignity and privacy.
In Kenya, sodomy is a felony as stipulated in Section 162 of the Penal Code and is considered as gross indecency, punishable by 14 years imprisonment. Section 165 of the same law prohibits sexual practices between males and attracts 5 years imprisonment.
Kenyatta explained in the interview that homosexuality “is a subject that the people of Kenya have clearly stated that they are not willing to engage in”.
Asked whether the stringent laws against gays do not infringe on individual liberties of privacy and equality, Kenyatta responded saying laws are founded on desires of a given society and are backed by 99% of Kenyans.
“It [homosexuality] is not important for me as a leader of 49 million Kenyans. I represent that which is the desire of our people,” he said.
While Kenyatta acknowledged that all Kenyans are protected by law against abuse or mistreatment, he cautioned that gays must recognize that their freedoms have to be taken in the full context of the society they live in.
Homosexuality is taboo across many countries in Africa although many of the countries have not specifically crafted anti-homosexuality laws.
Government in Kenya is opposed to the amendment of the law on same sex sexual relations which they fear could pave way for gay marriages.