MPs block forum on ‘homosexuality’ from being held in House

Organisers of an international symposium who were scheduled to hold a forum on population and development in the chamber of Parliament will have to look for alternative venue after members resolved to bar them from using the facility.

The move came after the Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale claimed among the topics the forum would discuss was homosexuality and lesbianism.

Rising on a point of order after Speaker Justin Muturi had read the communication, Duale told the House that among the agenda for the meeting would be a discussion on homosexuality.

“They are hiding behind population and development but the main agenda is gayism and lesbianism. We should not allow them to discuss it here,” Duale said.

Motion dropped

He declined a request by the Speaker to move the motion permitting the group to hold the forum in Parliament, saying his beliefs would not allow him to do so.

“It will be ungodly for me to move such a motion. How do I move it? In what language? How can I allow a gay to sit on my chair in the chamber?” he posed.

Leader of Minority John Mbadi, Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu and Godfrey Osotsi (Nominated) all declined to move the motion.

“Having no mover, the motion is dropped and therefore the organisers can look for an alternative venue,” ruled Muturi.

Duale said MPs who are known to oppose homosexuality had been denied accreditation to attend the forum. 

He named Nominated MP Jenifer Shamalla as one of those who had been denied accreditation.

Shamalla confirmed that she had indeed been denied accreditation because of her stand on homosexuality.

“I was told that I’m not welcome to the two-day meeting. No reason was given despite the fact that other colleagues were accredited,” she said.

The Kenyan government and the Kingdom of Denmark in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will be convening the Nairobi Summit on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD-25). 

The Summit will take place from November 12 to 14 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) under the theme “Accelerating the Promise”.