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WATCH: Gays in Kenya want govt to repeal colonial law against homosexuality

Kenya's high court is reportedly considering whether or not to repeal some of the country's colonial-era laws banning homosexuality – a crime that carries at least 14 years in jail in the east African nation.

According to Voice of America, rights groups in the east African nation have expressed concern over the law, saying that it violated the country's constitution and it opened "the way to discrimination and abuse of sexual minorities".

Homosexuality remained unaccepted in Kenya, as various religious groups continued to urge the courts not to amend the constitution.

Although gay people were rarely jailed in the east African country, living openly as gay was still regarded as dangerous for fear of prosecution under the colonial-era law, and being outed as gay was often used for extortion.

'This is not about Uhuru Kenyatta'

President Uhuru Kenyatta told CNN's Christiane Amanpour during an interview recently that  homosexuality was not an issue of human rights, but rather of "our own base as a culture".

"I won't engage in a subject that is of no importance to the people of Kenya. This is not an issue of human rights, this is an issue of our own base as a culture, as a people regardless of which community you come from,"

"This is not about Uhuru Kenyatta saying yes or no, this is an issue of the people of Kenya themselves who have bestowed upon themselves a Constitution after several years of clearly stating that this is not acceptable and is not a subject they are willing to engage in at this time and moment," Kenyatta said.

"It is important to them where they are. It's not important to me as the leader of 49 million Kenyans. I represent that which our people desire us to believe.


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