Kenyans on Twitter have expressed concerns after the United Kingdom High Commission in Kenya raised the LGBTQ flag to mark pride month.
Pride Month, typically June, is dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
The LGBTQ flag was hoisted alongside Ukraine's and UK's flags to mark pride month.
In a statement on their Twitter page, the commission said that in the UK everyone is free to thrive and be themselves.
"We are proudly flying the rainbow flag at the British High Commission to mark Pride Month. In the UK, we know that when everyone is free to thrive and be themselves, we all benefit. Everyone should be free to love who they love," the statement read.
🌈 We’re proudly flying the rainbow flag at the British High Commission to mark Pride Month. In the UK, we know that when everyone is free to thrive and be themselves, we all benefit. Everyone should be free to love who they love 🌈 pic.twitter.com/BqS8v6SlQ4
— UK in Kenya 🇬🇧🇰🇪 (@UKinKenya) June 29, 2023
This comes at a time when different factions condemned the community, including some leaders in government, religious leaders and Kenyans at large.
In February, the Supreme Court, by a majority decision, ruled that the LGBTQ community have the right to association.
The Court said the decision by the lower courts to deny the members their right to register as an NGO was discriminatory.
The judgement sparked fierce criticism from several quarters who condemned it as an attempt to domesticate and force on Kenyans uncouth Western culture.
Kenya’s anti-homosexuality laws were first imposed by British colonisers in 1897.
Article 162 punishes carnal knowledge against the order of nature with up to 14 years in prison, while Article 165 makes “indecent practices between males” liable to up to five years in prison.
Here are reactions from Kenyans: