Gay Right "non issue" Kenyan President

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday
dismissed gay rights as a “non-issue” ahead of a
visit by US President Barack Obama later this
week.
Kenyatta also said Deputy President
William Ruto, who is still on trial at the
International Criminal in The Hague accused
of crimes against humanity, would also
meet the US leader.
“That is a non-issue to the people of this
country, and it is definitely not on our
agenda at all,” Kenyatta said in response
to question about gay rights.
“We as a country, as a continent, are faced
with much more serious issues which we
would want to engage the US and all our
partners with.”
Obama’s planned Kenya visit was itself
long delayed by Kenyatta’s indictment by
the ICC.
Those charges, linked to post-election
ethnic violence in 2007-08, were
suspended last year — in part,
prosecutors say, because the Kenyan
government thwarted the investigation.
Kenyatta said that Obama would meet all
members of the government.
“Without a doubt, he is coming to meet the
government that is in place, that includes
all of us,” Kenyatta told reporters,
standing alongside Ruto. “We shall all be
meeting.”
Ruto has spoken out against
homosexuality, telling worshippers in
church in May it was “against the plan” of
God. In May, he said there was “no room
for homosexuality” in Kenya.
Homophobia is on the rise across much of
Africa and homosexuality remains illegal in
many countries, including Kenya where it
was outlawed under British colonial
legislation.
One Kenyan man, Kidala Vincent, had
promised to lead a march of “5,000 totally
naked men and women” to protest
Obama’s support for gay rights, so that
he can “see and understand the difference
between a man and woman.”
Kenyatta said economic development and
security were his priorities.
“Poverty, improved health for our people,
better education, better roads, better
security, these are our key focuses,” he
said.
“The fight against terror will be central, we
have been working in very close
cooperation with American agencies,” he
added.
Kenya has been hit by a string of attacks
by the Somali-led Shebab insurgents.
Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia in
2011 to fight the Al-Qaeda-linked
insurgents, and later joined the African
Union force, AMISOM, which is supporting
Somalia’s internationally-backed
government.
The Shebab have since stepped up their
operations in Kenya, dealing a blow to
plans for the troops to serve as a buffer
and protect the long, porous border.