Biden Urged to Scrap Kenya Trade Deals: US Groups Push for Change
US advocacy organizations have requested that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden suspend bilateral trade negotiations with Kenya until President Ruto vetoes anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
In a letter, U.S. civil society organizations request that United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai halt United States-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) negotiations until Ruto commits to vetoing the measure.
“Pausing trade negotiations is consistent with the Biden Administration’s position of defending LGBTQI+ rights worldwide. The letter states that this action would advance a worker-centered, inclusive trade policy.
In addition, suspending trade negotiations would send a message to nations around the world that the United States does not tolerate the violation of LGBTQI+ rights.
Signatories of the letter argued that leaving leverage on the table does not advance the administration’s stated priorities and establishes a terrifying precedent for future trade negotiations.
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The organizations prompted Biden’s administration to prioritize the request to deny any legislation or policy that would impose anti-LGBTQI+ criminal penalties on Kenyans.
They also stated that it is in their best interest for the Kenyan government to include in the roundtables LGBTQI+ individuals who have been directly affected by recent assaults.
Simultaneously, they requested that Ambassador Tai visit a healthcare facility that has been threatened with closure or has encountered difficulties in service delivery due to recent violations of LGBTQI+ rights.
The letter concludes, “We urge you to stand up for the rights of LGBTQI+ people and to halt STIP negotiations until the Family Protection Bill is defeated.”
The Family Protection Act, which became public knowledge in April 2023, seeks to criminalize same-sexual acts between consenting adults with a minimum sentence of ten years in prison and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”
Additionally, the proposed legislation would mandate the expulsion of LGBTQIA refugees and asylum-seekers from Kenya.
Kenya is among the African nations that have proposed such legislation, and Uganda has enacted a similar measure. Other nations, including Ghana, Tanzania, and Sudan, are pursuing the same objective.
Biden Urged to Scrap Kenya Trade Deals: US Groups Push for Change
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