Kenya Kwanza Clashes With Supreme Court Over LGBTQ Ruling

Two high-ranking officials in the Kenya Kwanza government have come out criticising the Supreme Court of Kenya over its ruling on LGBTQ registration.

Among them was National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, who on Monday, February 27 strongly accused the apex court of endangering its mandate to keep firm the moral fibre of the country.

The Supreme Court on Friday, February 24 ruled that denying LGBTQ+ members the right to register as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was discriminatory. This followed a 2013 lower court ruling that denied the community in Kenya the ability to register an NGO to advance their rights.

“Kenya is deeply religious. Each individual and public institution has a duty to uphold, defend and protect public morals.

“The Supreme Court pronouncement may lead to unintended and unhelpful consequences,” the Speaker stated.

On his part, Attorney General Justin Muturi announced that he would challenge the ruling which allowed the registration of LGBTQ as NGOs.

Speaking during a church service in Manyatta, Embu County, Muturi stated that Kenyans should have a right to voice their opinion on LGBTQ persons.

"In the interest of the public, I will be seeking the full bench of the Supreme Court to address itself over the matter," he stated.

Members of the clergy were also not too pleased with the ruling which they believed went against the laws of God. The Christ Is The Answer Ministries (CITAM) church issued a detailed statement on Sunday, February 26 explaining why it condemned the ruling, which was in contradiction to the existing laws that criminalize gay sex in Kenya.

Additionally, the ruling left it wondering whether other illegal practitioners like paedophiles and those involved in incest also have a right of association and if not, how different they are from homosexuals and perhaps criminal organisations.

"We note that this comes to us soon after sections of the Church in the West decided to bless gay unions. We truly commend the judges who ruled for God’s creative order and for cultural preservation and dissented from that majority ruling.

"Similarly, we also appreciate and stand with the sections of the Christian faith communities who have stood their ground on matters biblical in spite of the schism from their umbrella organisations," stated CITAM in part.

The church further affirmed that homosexuality is opposed to African cultural norms and is viewed as sinful, unnatural, and perverted according to biblical teachings, making reference to a number of verses in the Bible, which categorize immoral thoughts and actions as sinful, including homosexual behaviour.

According to the Bible, homosexual behaviour is a sin because it is disobedient to scriptural teachings and it is contrary to God's created order for the family and human relationships, meaning human life would become extinct if everyone practised it.