Kenyan President Wlliam Ruto has criticized the country's Supreme Court for deciding in favour of LGBTQ freedoms, vowing that the government will not allow Kenya to head in that direction and won't support calls to legalize this community as the country has its own values that should be respected.
"That one I will not agree [...]. It will happen elsewhere but it cannot happen in Kenya," Ruto stressed during the launch of the Women's Enterprise Fund at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.
Last week, Kenya's top court in its verdict delivered by a five-judge bench stated that a board overseeing non-government organizations was discriminatory and contravened the law when it refused to register a pro-LGBTQ rights entity in the country. The board, in a letter of March 2015, denied the activists’ bid on the grounds that same-sex marriage is outlawed in Kenya. However, three of the five judges ruled that community members have rights to associate saying that a refusal would constitute discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Following the judicial ruling, President Ruto commented on the issue saying that even though he respects the court and its decisions, he disagrees with the verdict because it goes against religious values, beliefs and traditions that forbid same sex marriages and allow only heterosexual relationships.
"We respect the Court but… I will not allow it in Kenya. We have our culture and traditions, we respect our constitution and all our religions," he said, emphasizing: "We can’t travel the road of women marrying women or men marrying men. That will not happen under my watch."
The president noted that in recent years these sorts of ideas that push the LGBTQ agenda are being spread by many people across the globe, and the country's children in particular are "being bombarded with this talk and pressured by these dirty teachings."
Against this backdrop, he urged religious leaders to stand up against this phenomenon and educate children and all Kenyans in general, in a way that long-standing customs are maintained and protected. He highlighted that the country can't allow Christian and Islamic religious beliefs to yield "to platforms that are preaching foreign concepts."
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua shared this same point of view, lashing out at the court's ruling and dubbing the LGBTQ agenda as part of a "repugnant"satanic ideology that contradicts Kenyans' morals, ideals and customs.
"This is satanic and goes against our beliefs. Our President is a man of faith and will do what needs to be done. In any case, we have our traditions and customs, and what they are suggesting is repugnant to morality and justice and our way of life," Gachagua stated.
According to local media, other politicians, as well as religious leaders in the country, who are against legitimizing the LGBTQ movement, have also expressed the same frustration over the ruling and pledged to petition the court to overturn the decision. Moreover, the country's lawmakers are now considering legislation that prohibits the registration of pro-LGBTQ organizations. In particular, MP George Kaluma has put forward a bill seeking to criminalize the LGBTQ community and its propagators in Kenya.