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Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta Differs With Obama On Gay Issue

U.S President Barack Obama and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have differed sharply in their positions on gay rights.

While Mr Obama spoke strongly against discrimination, Mr Kenyatta said gay rights is a non issue and that Kenya did not share the same values.

Obama made the remarks at a joint news conference he held at State House with President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday.

Uhuru said “ “There are some things that we must agree we don’t share,” he said. “Our culture, our societies don’t accept [homosexuality].”

Obama discussed the subject on his first full day in Kenya while drawing on his own background as an African-American in the U.S.

“If somebody is a law-abiding citizen who is going about their business and working in a job and obeying the traffic signs and doing all the other things that good citizens are supposed to do and not harming anybody, the idea that they are going to be treated differently or abused because of who they love is wrong,” Obama said.

However President Kenyatta said it was difficult to impose beliefs on the Kenyan people that they “do not accept.”

“This issue is not really an issue that is on the foremost mind of Kenyans and that is a fact,” he said.

While the U.S. has made strides on gay rights issues, most recently with the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage, many countries in Africa, including Kenya, hold more conservative views.

Same sex relations are still illegal in Kenya and Ethiopia, where the president will travel on Sunday.

Ahead of the trip, several Kenyan political and religious leaders had warned President Obama not to discuss gay rights while in the country.

Earlier after opening the GES 2015 Summit at Gigiri, Obama  visited a memorial for those killed in the 1998 US embassy bombing.

The trip, which began on Friday, is Mr Obama’s first visit as president to the country where his father was born

On Sunday, Obama will in the morning open the Leadership Centre at Kenyatta University and thereafter hold talks with the members of the opposition and the civil society.

He is expected to meet CORD leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula as well as Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua.

Obama will later address the public at Safaricom Stadium before concluding his three day visit to Kenya.

The US President is expected to leave the country Sunday evening for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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Posted by on July 25, 2015. Filed under AFRICA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

33 Responses to Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta Differs With Obama On Gay Issue

  1. New Educated Zambia©❤√ Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    Of course the gay issue is a very senstive issue in Africa. Culture plays a major role. What we in the UPND are saying is that you cannot stop a human from doing what he wants in the confines of his bedroom. As the majority of people do not accept this sexuality, this makes gay people a minority. The law of governance states that minorities need protection. Legally you do not have to accept gay people. However, that does not warrant victimisation of gay people. Take out the gayness, those people are citizens of the country and deserve protection. Rather than force the vice to go underground and increase diseases, it is better we face the gay issue and accept it is there. The same happened when HIV became common in the 90s.

    • kakolwe Reply

      July 25, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      What a horrible line!!!
      Conversely: “Take away the theft, thieves are normal people, a minority, needing protection yadah, yadah, yadah!”
      Typical!!!

      • Jethuth Chritht Reply

        July 25, 2015 at 9:14 pm

        “True Christians Love Everybody!”

      • New Educated Zambia©❤√ Reply

        July 25, 2015 at 9:30 pm

        thieves have rights too. When they are caught and arrested they are not to be treated inhumanely. This is according to the law of the land. That is why you see a lot fuss been made over prison condiitions in line with human rights act.

      • real Reply

        July 25, 2015 at 11:15 pm

        who among those who speak or practice this inhuman behavior was born form the anus?

        • Heart & Soul Reply

          July 25, 2015 at 11:45 pm

  2. Iwe Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    WAS JESUS GAY

    and what would it matter if he was?

    Pat Condell

    November 2, 2007

  3. Kizito Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 8:51 pm

    Only perverted people think that, being gay is about anal sex and not about indiviauls nature of sexual orientation.

  4. tumfwe Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    If Jesus experienced everything a human would then he experienced sexual temptation? Then the question is did Jesus experience heterosexual temptation, homosexual temptation, or both.

  5. Jethuth Chritht Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    Ignorance and fear created the gods-

    “If the ignorance of nature gave birth to gods,
    the knowledge of nature is calculated to destroy them.” -Baron D’Holbach (1723-1789)”

  6. gay gene Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    To be or not to be…..

    • Te runyoka Reply

      July 26, 2015 at 12:05 am

  7. citizen Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    Homosexuality is abominable and it is illegal here in our country. @NEZ gives me the impression that upndown would legalize homosexuality! All the more reason why hh cannot win any election! VIVA H.E. ECL VIVA!!

    • New Educated Zambia©❤√ Reply

      July 25, 2015 at 9:58 pm

      kiki where in my comment have i stated we would legalise it? Stupidity is giving your own personal meaning to things that have been categorically explained to you in simple language. Please re-read my comment and ask one of your friends to explain to you what that means rather than show off your stupidity here.

      • citizen Reply

        July 25, 2015 at 10:53 pm

        Stupidity indeed is your domain @NEZ. Do i need an interpreter to understand the filth coming out oi your polluted gay-sympathetic mind! Useless fool is you!!!

        • New Educated Zambia©❤√ Reply

          July 25, 2015 at 11:16 pm

          your homophobic mind is clouding your objectivity to interpret information. Please take your head out your backside for once. Read the comments and try to be level headed for once. It is because of fools like you that our country cannot develop. you have chosen to be stiff necked and see things the way you want to. In other words you are dreamers

        • Te runyoka Reply

          July 26, 2015 at 12:10 am

  8. biko Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Am so disapoi.nted wth NEZ I didn’t kno that he is a satanist. So UPND wil alow this stupid way of maring a felow sex? NEZ were you born through the pinus of vig….? Am shoked, plz pipo no vote to UPND as it has owez ben.

    • New Educated Zambia©❤√ Reply

      July 25, 2015 at 10:17 pm

      refer to my comment above you dull pf cadre. no one is talking about legalizing homsexuality. The zambian people will always have a say on what to legalise via the constitution. What we are saying is that we should not turn a blind eye to the victimisation of gay people. Just because one does not recognise the union of a certain group does not mean we cannot contain it and protect them from victimisation. The gay people are a group that are high risk in terms of HIV. If we do not face this issue with an open mind we risk having a rebirth of the HIV problem in the country. Please grow up and look at things objectively

  9. Loveness Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 10:53 pm

    mia farrow

    The President of the U.S. spoke out against homophobia in Kenya!!!! I’m cheering.
    4:16 PM – 25 Jul 2015

  10. Loveness Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 10:54 pm

    The fact that someone should be treated differently because of who they love is wrong. Full stop. Obama on LGBT rights
    4:10 PM – 25 Jul 2015

  11. Imibinde Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 10:58 pm

    You got Christianity from the West.

  12. homo Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    Some are and some are not.

    • blindfolded Reply

      July 26, 2015 at 12:13 am

  13. Heart & Soul Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 11:47 pm

  14. haaaaahahahhaha so gay! Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 11:53 pm

  15. Classic Reply

    July 25, 2015 at 11:56 pm

  16. understanding Reply

    July 26, 2015 at 12:02 am

  17. !!! Reply

    July 26, 2015 at 12:43 am

  18. Neo Reply

    July 26, 2015 at 7:21 am

    @Nez UPND has a spokesperson therefore such controversial statements must not come from ordinary members. Homosexuality is criminalised,is an abomination and does not attract any sympathy in the Zambia society and it is therefore very very wrong. I sympathise with UPND but do not share such type of thinking on this issue. SORRY

    • New Educated Zambia©❤√ Reply

      July 26, 2015 at 8:03 am

      Learn to read and understand things neo. Where in my statement has it been said that it is not illegal? You labelling it an abomination is just your subjective view because no such clause appears in the constitution. What we are saying is that we need to recognise that there are gay people in zambia and ensure these guys are practicing safe sex. It is very dull to bury your head in the sand. You did the same with hiv now look who suffered the most from that pandemic. Drugs are not allowed in many western nations but that has not stopped them from providing support to those affected. You call yourslf Christians and yet are the most evil hearted chaps. That same bible who do you think introduced it to you.

  19. mj banda Reply

    July 26, 2015 at 7:30 am

    HH would ve recommended

  20. joy Reply

    July 26, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Theft is the crime of stealing, and today it has become the part of art of organised crime. Am talking about people with rights doing illegal things. If we treat homosexual as a crime then no one will be victimised as the law will confine them.

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