Police raided the centre after receiving a tip off.
Two staff members of an LGBTQ centre in Mombasa have been arrested by police following a tip off. Nairobi News reports a police source as saying: “We received report they are recruiting youth to join the community.”
The source added: “We received complaints from members of the public about the activities of the organization. We raided and nabbed some of its staff for questioning.”
The staff members who were arrested were released later in the day.
Related: British rugby team launch petition to prevent gay player from being deported to Kenya
It is currently illegal to be gay in Kenya, and people convicted can face up to 14 years in jail. However, on 22 February 2019, the High Court is scheduled to make a ruling that could see homosexuality legalised in the country.
The case was brought to the Kenyan High Court in January, earlier this year. It came after two men caught having sex in Mombasa were forced to undergo torturous anal examinations. The NGLHRC and one of Kenya’s most powerful and successful lawyers, Senior Counsel Paul Muite, are leading the charge for the decriminalisation.
They’re calling for Sections 162 and 165 of the Kenyan Penal code to be repealed, arguing that they are discriminatory and unconstitutional. However, religious groups in America have funded the Kenya Christian Professional Forum who want to make the rules much tougher and for them to explicitly target homosexuality.
Earlier this year, one activist, Denis Nzioka, told Gay Star News: “We really do hope finally for once Kenya may ban arrest and imprisonment based on homosexuality.
“People will be following this in the media, and we can only hope the dialogue is balanced,” he added.
Although it’s not known how the case will turn out, there was a rare win for LGBTQ rights earlier this year as the country’s Court of Appeal ruled that forced anal examinations should be illegal.
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