Police in Kakamega are holding two men accused of being in a gay relationship. The two were arrested on Friday at a house in Shikambi area, in the outskirts of Kakamega town, after they were allegedly busted getting intimate.
Reuben Otiende, a Nyumba Kumi elder, said residents suspected one of the two men had been defiling underage boys in the area.
Neighbors laid a trap and stormed his house on Friday, where they found him in the company of another man.
They also demanded to go through his phone, from wherein they found messages and conversations confirming that he was in an intimate relationship with his male visitor.
Police officers arrived on time to save the two from the wrath of an irate mob that was baying for their blood.
The two were apprehended and booked to Kakamega police station. Kakamega OCPD David Kabena said the two will be arraigned in court once an investigation into the matter is complete.
Last year, the Kenya Supreme Court declined to strike down a colonial-era law that criminalizes consensual gay sex. The court ruled that the petitioners failed to prove that the law infringed on their rights.
Kenya’s penal code states that anyone who has “carnal knowledge… against the order of nature” can be imprisoned for up to 14 years. Another section recommends a five-year jail sentence for “indecent practices between males.”
