A human rights lobby claims that an anti-gay organisation in Mombasa has joined hands with al Shabaab to attack LGBTQI persons at the Coast.
Kenya Human Rights Commission executive director Davis Malombe said the group has planned an anti-gay protest in Mombasa on September 15.
He did not name representatives of the group he said are planning the protests, which he claimed would likely be violent.
“The demonstrations are poised to trigger a disturbing surge of hatred, prejudice, and instigation within Kenya, endangering the lives and safety of people with diverse gender and sexual orientations,” he said in a letter to Dr Samuel Kobia, the chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
“An amorphous group based in Mombasa dubbed the 'Anti-LGBTQ Movement' leads the onslaught with horrifying messaging that incites violence against LGBTQI+ persons.”
Malombe claimed the group is calling for the "kicking out" of LGBTQI persons and raising funds to accomplish their mission.
“Furthermore, the movement has hinted at allying with the extremist group al Shabaab, threatening to plunge our nation into a state of violence and turmoil that we must avoid,” he said.
Dr Kobia did not immediately respond to queries about the letter and whether any investigation is being done.
However, rights groups have consistently said mobs in Kenya’s coastal region have repeatedly attacked people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
In 2015, HRW released 70-page report, 'The Issue is Violence: Attacks on LGBT People on Kenya’s Coast,' based on research it conducted in 2014 and 2015 alongside PEMA Kenya, a community organisation in Mombasa that provides support to gender and sexual minorities on human rights, health, HIV-Aids, and economic well-being.
The two documented rights abuses against members of sexual minorities in the Coast region, including mob violence, assault, rape, incitement to violence, and inadequate protection. The groups identified ways the Kenyan authorities could improve their response to these abuses.
“For many LGBT people in the coast region, safety is a daily concern,” Esther Adhiambo, executive director of PEMA Kenya, said.
Malombe said the situation has not changed.
He told Kobia to investigate to identify the instigators of the anti-gay campaign.
"At present, the freedom of association and the right to life are at risk; human dignity, equality, freedom from discrimination on trial; and protection against incitement to violence and hate speech under assault. These fundamental rights are in our Constitution and other international human rights treaties,” he said.
"This is not a matter of differing opinions; it is about preventing violence and safeguarding the lives of vulnerable individuals."
