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Kenyan lawmakers say “Obama should be ejected from the Kenyan parliament if he mentions gay rights”
In just a few weeks, President Obama will visit Kenya. It’s an important visit for many reasons, not least because many Kenyans hope that his familial link to the country can lead to a better relationship between the United States and East Africa.
Yet there’s one subject than some Kenyans do not want brought up: gay rights.
On Sunday, Justin Muturi, the speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, warned that parliament has the ability to “sanction any advances perceived to encroach on our social fabric,” according to the Star, a local newspaper. “As an individual and a Christian, I am opposed to homosexuality and cannot condone gay practices.”
Muturi was one of five Kenyan lawmakers at a cathedral fundraising event on Sunday who told the audience that Obama should not be allowed to bring up the issue of gay rights during his visit. Another, Charles Njagagua, said Obama should be ejected from the Kenyan parliament if he mentions gay rights, the Nation newspaper reported, while Rose Mitaru said the country was ready to reject any aid if it is tied to gay marriage.
In Kenya, where gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, such an opinion is not unusual. On Monday, a handful of people in Nairobi gathered for a protest against homosexuality. “When Obama comes, we are asking him to respect the morals of the Kenyans, respect the faith of the Kenyans,” Bishop Mark Kariuki, a leader of theEvangelical Alliance of Kenya, which called for the protest, told the Associated Press.
In just a few weeks, President Obama will visit Kenya. It’s an important visit for many reasons, not least because many Kenyans hope that his familial link to the country can lead to a better relationship between the United States and East Africa.
Yet there’s one subject than some Kenyans do not want brought up: gay rights.
On Sunday, Justin Muturi, the speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, warned that parliament has the ability to “sanction any advances perceived to encroach on our social fabric,” according to the Star, a local newspaper. “As an individual and a Christian, I am opposed to homosexuality and cannot condone gay practices.”
Muturi was one of five Kenyan lawmakers at a cathedral fundraising event on Sunday who told the audience that Obama should not be allowed to bring up the issue of gay rights during his visit. Another, Charles Njagagua, said Obama should be ejected from the Kenyan parliament if he mentions gay rights, the Nation newspaper reported, while Rose Mitaru said the country was ready to reject any aid if it is tied to gay marriage.
In Kenya, where gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, such an opinion is not unusual. On Monday, a handful of people in Nairobi gathered for a protest against homosexuality. “When Obama comes, we are asking him to respect the morals of the Kenyans, respect the faith of the Kenyans,” Bishop Mark Kariuki, a leader of theEvangelical Alliance of Kenya, which called for the protest, told the Associated Press.
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