Nairobi - Kenya's High Court has begun hearing arguments in a case that challenges parts of the penal code seen as targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission argues that sections of the code are in breach of the constitution and deny basic rights by criminalising consensual same-sex relations between adults.
The commission's executive director, Eric Gitari, says in a statement that parts of the penal code are used to justify violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the East African nation.
Many countries across Africa have laws against homosexuality.
It is not immediately clear when a ruling in the Kenya case is expected.