Kenya PM: gays should be rounded up and arrested

Box Turtle Bulletin reports

Prime Minister Raila Odinga, speaking at a political rally on Sunday, said that all gays in Kenya should be rounded up and charged with violating the nation’s anti-sodomy laws. According to the Kenyan independent newspaper Daily Nation:


Addressing a rally at Kamukunji grounds in his Langata Constituency, the PM said their behaviour was unnatural. “If found the homosexuals should be arrested and taken to relevant authorities,” Mr Odinga said.

The PM thrilled the crowd when he asserted that the recent census showed there were more women than men and there was no need for same sex relationships. He said it was madness for a man to fall in love with another man while there were plenty of women and added that there was no need for women to engage in lesbianism yet they can bear children.


....
LGBT advocates say that they have already received phone calls from people who are HIV-positive who are afraid to go to their clinics to receive refills on their anti-retroviral medication.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister’s office is reportedly backing away from his comments, claiming they were taken out of context and that there is no change in government policy. Kenya’s new constitution contains a bill of rights which prohibits discrimination on any grounds, but LGBT activists fear that Odinga’s remarks will provide official sanction for anti-gay pogroms.

Comments (3)

Obviously, there MUST be some humongous ACTUAL problems being IGNORED, if the Prime Minister is going w/ the bog standard "Blame Teh Gays!" diversion. *

JC Fisher

* From the same Father-of-Lies who, whenever ANYTHING went wrong, brought us "Blame Teh Jews" for a couple thousand years...

Maybe he should be arrested and taken to the Hague.

We eagerly await Archbishop Wabukala's denunciation of the Kenya PM's statement.

I am not holding my breath.

I would be delighted to be proven cynical.

(Exactly what context were the PM's comments taken out of?)

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