National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has criticised the Supreme Court judgment that granted LGBTQ community the right to form a lobby group.
Through his official Twitter page, Wetang’ula faulted the Judiciary decision arguing that the nation is highly religious and it was up to the Supreme Court to defend public morals.
“Kenya is deeply religious. Each Individual or Public institution, including the judiciary, has a duty to uphold, defend and protect public morals!! The SC pronouncement may lead to unintended and unhelpful consequences,” Wetangula said.
This comes hours after Attorney General Justin Muturi vowed to challenge the ruling saying the issue was beyond the corridors of justice but one that required public consultation.
Muturi is seeking an advisory opinion on the judgment that has caused a storm among evangelical circles who said the ruling sets a bad precedent as pedophiles, and those who violate other norms might follow suit.
On Friday last week, the Apex Court dismissed an appeal by the government to bar registration of gays and lesbians lobby groups, ending an 11-year legal battle by activists seeking the official registration of an LGBTQ+ organisation in Kenya.
In a divided judgment, the apex court said the NGOs Coordination Board’s refusal to register the lobby group would violate human rights based on sexual orientation.
However, the court held that the country’s law – Section 162 of the Penal Code -that prohibits “unnatural offenses” (defined as having carnal knowledge with any man, woman, or animal against the order of nature) is binding.
