Kaluma rejects Kenya’s backing of UN LGBTQ+ rights mandate
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has criticised Kenya’s recent support for the renewal of a United Nations LGBTQ+ rights mandate, urging President William Ruto to immediately withdraw the vote.
In a strongly worded statement shared on his official X account on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Kaluma said Kenya’s decision to support the resolution was unacceptable and went against the country’s cultural, moral, and religious values.
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“H.E. President @WilliamsRuto: Homosexuality/LGBTQ perversion imposed upon developing nations by the West is destroying our societies. We cannot support it in whatever form. It is repugnant to our culture, is detrimental to health, is contrary to our faiths and is outright unacceptable!” Kaluma stated.
He further argued that Western countries, which he claimed had introduced homosexuality to the rest of the world, were now turning away from it.
“The West, which brought it upon humankind, have noted its dangers and is running from it: from the USA to Europe, laws have been passed against various aspects of homosexuality,” he added.
Kaluma, a vocal critic of LGBTQ+ rights, urged President Ruto to reconsider the decision and withdraw Kenya’s support for the mandate.
“Please reverse your decision herein. It is outright insupportable. Our cultural values are priceless and can’t be traded for anything under the sun,” he said.
The lawmaker also warned that Parliament would not ratify any agreement perceived to promote LGBTQ+ rights in Kenya.
“Parliament won’t ratify any agreement permitting homosexuality in Kenya as I sit there!” he declared.
Protection of LGBTQ+ rights
Kenya, on Monday, was among 29 countries that voted in favour of renewing the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The vote took place at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The mandate, held by South African scholar Graeme Reid, focuses on documenting human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ individuals and engaging countries in dialogue to prevent such violations.
While the vote was welcomed by human rights groups as a vital step in keeping LGBTQ+ protections on the global agenda, it also drew criticism from some African nations and conservative leaders like Kaluma. Countries that opposed the renewal included Qatar, Nigeria, and other African states, while three countries abstained from the vote.
The United States, which had been a vocal supporter of the mandate under the Biden administration, was notably absent from the vote. The U.S. withdrew its involvement in the Human Rights Council under former President Donald Trump, citing what it called an anti-Israel bias at the council.
The final vote tally was 29 in favour, 15 against, and three abstentions.
