UNHCR Briefing Note – LGBTIQ+ Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Kenya, dated October 2022, dispels lies circulating on social media. Note AHRC Commentary at end.
This briefing note provides an overview of UNHCR Kenya’s efforts to improve the overall protection environment for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) refugees in Kenya, including how we work with the Government of Kenya and partners to address their concerns and work towards identifying lasting solutions for them. READ ON
OUTSPOKEN REMARKS by Melanie Nathan from African Human Rights Coalition:
- AHRC has borne witness to the great lengths UNHCR have gone to implement best possible protection and practices for LGBTQI+ refugee in Kenya under the circumstances of dealing with a hostile host country and fully endorses the Briefing herein
- AHRC recognizes the challenges of limited funding, food shortages and the almost impossible challenge of having to negotiate protection in a sovereign country that also criminalizes LGBTQI+ people under their laws, thereby a hostile host country.
- AHRC calls out the United States Biden Admin and Canadian Government for not doing enough to open pipelines for LGBTQI+ refugees in Kenya and failing to bring effective diplomacy with Kenya’s Government to find durable solutions for LGBTQI refugees.
- AHRC urges Civil Societies, Funders, NGO’s and the Western Governments to fund appropriately to ensure solutions and protections are properly and fully funded
- America especially has a responsibility to LGBTQI+ refugees from African countries for the ongoing harm being perpetrated by American Evangelicals stirring up anti-LGBTQI+ hate on African soil
- Europe has an ongoing responsibility for the harm their antiquated Colonial Penal Codes continue to cause
- AHRC is concerned by the impact of par.19(2) of the new Kenyan Refugee Act and how this law may serve to circumvent Kenya’s international obligation to all refugees, serving to discriminate and refoulement of LGBTI+ refugees. We believe the Kenyan Government introduced the clause as a direct response to opportunism, criticism, lies, protests and instigation from those living in the west that have brought unwanted negative attention to a government which does not want to be exposed as helping LGBTQI+. Kenya’s new President Ruto knows how popular the ANTI-GAY milieu is in the country that just elected him. The last thing he wants is for his populace to think he is helping gays. This complex truth seems to befuddle western activists and the straight people who are pretending to be gay and who have nothing to lose by exposing and calling unwanted attention to the Kenyan government. These players were warned of the harms and yet persisted and now the harm has come home to roost in the form of par 19 (2).
AND IMPORTANTLY –
AHRC has borne witness to the spread of lies and false information by opportunists in Kenya, and often by so called well-wishers in the west who are doing nothing more than harming the entire trajectory for all LGBTQI+ refugees in Kenya. These lies have also been spread by those claiming LGBTI profiles who have been smuggled to Kenya having been told they will receive a quick settlement to the United States. Some of these frauds have already made their way to the United States and other countries. Their profiles are well known at this point, as well as the names of the smugglers. Much of this information is available in recorded and documented evidence.
These lies are designed to alter the narrative and to thwart funding from legitimate fundraisers to false funding of individuals who claim services are not available when in fact such services are available. This is most unfortunate and has been costly to attempts to provide legitimate humanitarian services.
It is with great sadness and disappointment that I find myself compelled to speak out –
I realize that when a great lie persists, one must speak the truth to effect the correction, at whatever short term cost. Because it is the long term that offers the road to remedy, and not the short term.
Melanie Nathan
November 07, 2022.
nathan@AfricanHRC.org
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