Kenyan President William Ruto criticized a recent Supreme Court decision allowing an LGBTQ rights group’s registration. Despite the court’s decision, Ruto maintained the government’s stance against same-sex marriage, citing cultural and religious beliefs. Kenya’s High Court and Court of Appeal had previously ruled against the national board’s denial of the activist’s registration request. The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the board’s further appeal has been met with protests from anti-LGBTQ groups.
Kenya’s penal code criminalizes intimate relations between people of the same sex, and efforts to scrap the colonial-era law by LGBTQ activists have not succeeded. The Supreme Court majority in its decision noted that same-sex marriages are illegal in Kenya. President Ruto encouraged religious leaders to promote traditional values, which align with the country’s conservative and religious beliefs.
Kenya is known for its religious and cultural conservatism, which has led to a negative view of LGBTQ rights in the country. Anti-LGBTQ groups have been active in Kenya, protesting against the LGBTQ rights movement and any attempts to legalize same-sex marriage. Despite the Supreme Court’s decision, it remains unlikely that same-sex marriage will be legalized in the country anytime soon.
