A recent decision by Kenya to support the renewal of an international LGBTQ+ rights expert at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has triggerd an intense domestic political storm, exposing deep divisions within the nation’s political landscape.
On Monday, July 7, 2025, Kenya joined 28 other nations, including Chile, Germany, and South Africa, in backing a resolution that extended the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The move, which however, has not been well-received by some prominent leaders within the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Among the most vocal critics is Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, a staunch opponent of LGBTQ+ rights and a close ally of President William Ruto. Kaluma quickly took to social media, decrying the government’s position as a “betrayal of Kenya’s cultural and moral fabric.”
He asserted that “Homosexuality/LGBTQ perversion imposed upon developing nations by the West is destroying our societies,” and declared it “repugnant to our culture, is detrimental to health, is contrary to our faiths, and is outright unacceptable.”
Homa Bay Town MP – Opondo Kaluma
Kaluma framed the UN vote as part of a broader pattern of cultural domination by Western powers, accusing them of pushing “alien ideologies” onto African nations. He further claimed that Western countries are now “backtracking” on LGBTQ+ rights, citing recent policy reversals in parts of the U.S. and Europe.
The MP has called for Kenya to immediately withdraw its support, emphasizing that national values must take precedence in all foreign policy decisions. He has also warned that Parliament will not ratify any agreement perceived to promote LGBTQ+ rights within Kenya.
This UN vote has become a flashpoint in Kenya’s ongoing debate over human rights, sovereignty, and cultural identity. While some defend Kenya’s alignment with international human rights frameworks, others, like Kaluma, view it as a direct threat to the moral and cultural foundations of society.
This domestic backlash follows a significant Supreme Court ruling in September 2023, which upheld the right to association for LGBTQ+ persons by dismissing a challenge to the registration of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC).
Despite this legal victory for LGBTQ+ advocates, societal views in Kenya remain largely conservative, with over 90% opposing same-sex marriage according to a 2023 Pew Research Center estimate.
Kaluma himself has sponsored a “Family Protection Bill” in Parliament, which proposes severe penalties, including death, for “aggravated homosexuality” and seeks to criminalize all promotion of LGBTQ+ activity.
The government is now under increasing pressure to clarify its position both on the global stage and to a deeply divided domestic audience.
