Arnold, a 35‑year‑old Kenyan guitarist who came out as gay years ago, removed a rainbow flag from his Twitter profile last month out of fear for his safety. He told AFP that he worries the government could use social media to identify and round up LGBTQ citizens, noting that “safe spaces are shrinking every day. Soon, we will have nowhere to hide.” Kenya, like its neighbours, is grappling with a severe cost‑of‑living crisis and its worst drought in four decades. Activists say these pressing issues have been sidelined as political leaders across the spectrum unite in a campaign of “state‑sponsored homophobia.”
Njeri Gateru, executive director of the Nairobi‑based National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC), warned that a concerted effort to spread misinformation is fueling public sentiment that justifies violence against LGBTQ people. Homosexuality remains illegal in many East African countries, where conservative Muslim and Christian influences have long stigmatized gay individuals. In Kenya and Tanzania, colonial‑era laws criminalise gay sex with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. Although convictions are rare and gay‑rights groups are allowed to operate in Kenya—unlike in Somalia—the legal framework makes the community vulnerable to police harassment and online attacks, a situation that has worsened with the latest wave of homophobia. NGLHRC recorded 117 attacks on perceived LGBTQ individuals in Kenya last month, up from 78 in January.
The surge followed Kenya’s Supreme Court ruling against a petition seeking to bar LGBTQ lobbying groups, prompting condemnation from the attorney general, who vowed to challenge the verdict. President William Ruto, a born‑again Christian elected in August, declared that same‑sex marriages might occur elsewhere but “not in Kenya,” branding homosexuality a Western import incompatible with the nation’s customs, traditions, Christianity, and Islam. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua called the court’s decision an example of “repugnant morality and injustice in our way of life.” Even opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has been contesting Ruto’s election, echoed the government’s stance, accusing the court of overstepping its mandate.
Across Kenya’s western border, Uganda’s parliament introduced a bill that would punish anyone identifying as homosexual or engaging in consensual same‑sex activity with a 10‑year prison term. Uganda has a notorious record of anti‑gay legislation; in 2014 President Yoweri Museveni signed a law imposing life imprisonment for homosexual relations, later struck down on a technicality. Recent online conspiracy theories allege that shadowy international forces are “promoting homosexuality.” Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda—whose operations were suspended last year—said he has been inundated with calls from LGBTQ people fearing the new bill, describing their lives as “living in fear.”
Campaigners argue that attacking gay rights while espousing evangelical Christian values is an easy political win in many African nations. Oryem Nyeko, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, called the anti‑LGBTQ campaign “very intentional and coordinated,” noting that homosexuals are an “easy target” because they are a vulnerable, misunderstood minority. In Burundi, where homosexuality has been criminalised since 2009, 24 people were charged with “homosexual practices” after attending an HIV/AIDS prevention seminar. President Evariste Ndayishimiye recently urged citizens to “curse those who indulge in homosexuality, because God cannot bear it,” adding that they must be “banished, treated as pariahs in our country.”
The crackdown has extended into schools, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania pledging to stop what they describe as the spread of LGBTQ awareness among students. Tanzanian activist Fatma Karume said gay, lesbian and transgender people are being scapegoated by leaders struggling to address economic crises, noting, “It’s unfortunate… they want to use this minority group to distract people.”
Gay‑rights advocates see the timing of the clampdown as a deliberate diversion. “We are being taken for a ride,” said NGLHRC’s Gateru, adding that regardless of the motives, the message is clear: “Being an LGBTQ person is being a second‑class citizen.”
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