Churches Front Bill to Seal Loophole Supreme Court Used on LGBTQ Ruling
The Kenya Christian Professional Forum (KCPF) is proposing a new bill seeking to seal what it described as legal loopholes that enabled the Supreme Court to fortify the LGBTQ community’s freedom of association.
In a statement, the group expressed fears over the implications the ruling will have, claiming that the country’s moral fabric risks being eroded.
To that end, the organization is looking to sponsor the Hifadhi Jamii Bill to push for a constitutional amendment which the organization claimed will help it achieve its ultimate goal.
“The judgment opens the way to the gradual dismantling of our legal, moral, and cultural prohibitions against homosexual behavior, which is so destructive of the individual, families, communities, and the nation,” the organization said in a statement.
“While the Court did not overturn the anti-sodomy laws in the Penal Code for now, it has signaled that gays and lesbians can now engage untrammeled by legal restrictions to unravel our various guardrails against the promotion of homosexuality,” the statement further read.
While making its argument, the organization referenced the Committed Clause in the preamble of the 2010 Constitution which reads, “COMMITTED to nurturing and protecting the well-being of the individual, the family, communities and the nation,”
In September, the Supreme Court upheld the right of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) to register as an association. The ruling opened the door for other LGBTQ+ organizations to register.
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Ten years prior, the NGOs Coordination Board had declined a request by the commission to register raising concerns that would promote same-sex relations.
The Supreme Court’s ruling drew instant criticism from the Kenyan political class.
At one point, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman was forced to issue a statement refuting that America was piling pressure on the Kenyan government to support same-sex relations.
President William Ruto later criticised the Supreme Court ruling stating that although the executive respected the decision, it did not agree with it.
“Our culture and religion do not allow same-sex marriages.” President William Ruto stated.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua would later describe same-sex marriages as ‘satanic’ affairs.
The Islamic community also joined the growing list of Kenyans to criticize the ruling.
Led by Nyali MP Mohamed Ali, Muslims staged protests both in Nairobi and Mombasa on October 6 calling for annulment of the ruling.
Churches Front Bill to Seal Loophole Supreme Court Used on LGBTQ Ruling
