It’s only been a week since Uganda struck down their anti-gay law on a technicality, but now the continent of Africa is facing a new homophobic threat as lawmakers in the nation of Kenya have proposed a “stone the gays” bill.
According to the Daily Nation, The Republican Liberty Party has proposed a bill to the National Assembly asking them to outlaw sexual relations between people of the same sex.
Under the bill, which was presented alongside a petition by the party’s legal secretary, Edward Onwong’a Nyakeriga, Kenyan nationals guilty of sodomy will be punished with life in prison. Any foreigner who commits a homosexual act will suffer the more cruel punishment of death by stoning in front of a crowd.
However, anyone found guilty of aggravated homosexuality would also be stoned to death in public. Cases of aggravated homosexuality include committing the acts with people below 18 years of age, if the offender is a person living with HIV, if those persons committing the act are persons in authority over their victims, serial offenders, and where a victim is a person with a disability.
As was the case in Uganda, the petitioner argues that the bill was drafted to protect the nation’s idea of a strong heterosexual family.
“There is a need to protect children and youth who are vulnerable to sexual abuse and deviation as a result of cultural changes, uncensored information technology, parentless child developmental settings and increasing attempts by homosexuals to raise children in homosexual relationships through adoption, foster care or otherwise,” the petitioner states.
“The petition aims at providing a comprehensive and enhanced legislation to protect the cherished culture of the people of Kenya, legal, religious and traditional family values against the attempts of sexual rights activists seeking to impose their values of sexual promiscuity on the people of Kenya,” states the petition.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is now before the Justice and Legal Affairs committee, which will consider the proposal and report back to members on its decision.
We hope that the frightening and atrocious new bill will be struck down, but considering the amount of homophobia that plagues certain African nations, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that it will pass. –nicholas robinson
