Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale has described homosexuality as a problem in Kenya on the same scale as terrorism and suggested it should be handled the same way.
But he said it is a social problem and religious leaders should first preach against it.
Mr Duale also resisted a suggestion by some MPs that the Government introduce express laws against homosexuality like Uganda has.
“Uganda has passed a law but for us the Constitution and the Penal Code are very clear. But I want to urge my colleagues that this is a social problem. It is incumbent upon our religious leaders, our political leaders, government, parents, school administrators, we must (campaign against) it,” said Mr Duale.
“We need to go on and address this issue the way we want to address terrorism. It’s as serious as terrorism. It’s as serious as any other social evil,” said Mr Duale.
The Majority Leader told his colleagues that homosexuality “is a Western agenda” and that if they go ahead and prepare legislation like that in Uganda and Nigeria, they would likely not get visas whenever they wish to travel to America and Europe.
He was responding to requests for clarification from MPs as he responded to a question by Irungu Kangata (Kiharu, TNA) on what the government is doing to act on laws that prohibit homosexual activities.
Reading from a statement by the Internal Security ministry, Mr Duale told the House that 595 cases of homosexuality have been dealt with legally since 2010, when the Constitution came into force.
He said, however, that the police is not aware of any organisations that promote the violation of statutes that prohibit sexual activities contrary to the order of nature.
In the statement he tabled, Rift Valley has had the biggest number of homosexuality cases at 204. The rest are; Central (85), Coast (63), Nairobi (40), Nyanza (33), North Eastern (9), Eastern (161) and Western (25).
Mr Duale said the challenges police pursuing those cases mostly face have to do with witnesses either being intimidated or failing to turn up to testify and victims of sodomy shying away because of stigma.
He said victims and their families are often compromised by suspects, sometimes the suspects disappear or the courts are slow in dealing with the cases.
Mr Kangata said he was happy with the results of his inquiry and said the Majority Leader’s statement had proven that Kenya is ahead of Uganda in implementing laws against homosexuals.
But his colleagues were not satisfied.
“Can’t we just be brave enough and go the way Uganda has gone? We outlay gayism and be done with this foreign influence?” said Mr Alois Lentoimaga (Samburu North, TNA).
That, he was told, is not an option right now.
The laws state that a person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature or who allows it to be done to them is liable to imprisonment for seven years.-nation.co.ke
