Kenyan LGBT activist to re-hoist pride flag on mountain

An activist who raised a rainbow flag on one of Kenya’s highest peaks, says she will climb up the mountain again to hoist it after it was taken down by traditional elders.

Juelz Nimo, was part of a team that climbed Mt Kenya in 2019 as part of a campaign to raise awareness on the safety of LGBTQ people and other human rights defenders.

But the flag was this week taken down and burnt by traditionalist elders, who claimed it desecrated the mountain which is considered a holy site by communities in central Kenya.

Nimo told the BBC that raising the flag again at the third highest peak of the mountain would be a sign of defiance in the face of growing hate against the gay community in Kenya.

On Wednesday, Kenyan MPs passed a motion to ban public debate and promotion of same-sex relations in the country.

The vote was adopted by acclamation in the national assembly which had just slightly above the required quorum of 50 legislators.

But the resolution is largely symbolic and non-binding as it would require a bill to be drafted for it to become law.

The motion was tabled by Mohammed Ali, a former investigative journalist, who claimed that the LGBTQ community was growing in the country due to publication and broadcast of books and media promoting same-sex relations.

During the motion’s debate, MPs called for stiffer penalties against people in same-sex relations.