'We shall not condone any attempts to legitimise LGBTQ' - Kenya deputy president warns

Kenya's deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has served notice that the East African nation will not condone same-sex relations.

He stressed that Kenya will resist any attempt at imposing same on its population citing the need to protect its customs and traditions.

"We shall not condone any attempts to legitimise LGBTQ actions in Kenya. Our values must be respected, and in no way shall we turn back," he tweeted.

Gachagua, known popularly as Riggy G, made the comments today whiles attending a programme on the celebration of International Women's Day in the capital Nairobi.

LGBTQ not a real issue – Kenya Prez Ruto says focus on jobs, combating hunger

Barely months ago, Gachagua's boss president William Ruto stated that the laws of the country will apply in the matter of same-sex relations.

He told Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Wednesday, September 7, that homosexuality and issues around it was, however, not a ‘real issue’ for ordinary Kenyans as compared to issues of unemployment and hunger.

“We have Kenyan law, we have the Kenyan Constitution, we have our tradition, we have our customs, we will continue to respect other people’s custom as they respect our custom and our traditions,” he said.

The CNN report played a video of the then outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta dismissing same-sex subject years back as a non-issue to Kenyans, following which Amanpour asked Ruto his views on same.

“On that subject, President Kenyatta was spot on, we do not want to create a mountain out of a molehill. This is not a big issue for the people of Kenya. When it becomes a big issue, the people of Kenya will make a choice,” he added.

He said the five million unemployed and four million hungry Kenyans were the priority of his government.

Homosexuality is largely illegal across most parts of the continent with people engaging in it liable to jail terms. Kenya has a strong LGBTQ+ community that have often protested to highlight their plight.

Two recent events have underlined the same-sex advocacy drive in Kenya. The gruesome murder of a fashionista and known gay, Edwin Chiloba and a Supreme Court ruling that LGBTQ groups can be legally registered under Kenyan laws.

We shall not condone any attempts to legitimise LGBTQ actions in Kenya. Our values must be respected, and in no way shall we turn back. pic.twitter.com/fG0gUhauTr

— Rigathi Gachagua (@rigathi) March 2, 2023