Over the weekend there were two interesting items in the Daily Nation, Kenya's leading newspaper. "It is a big lie that homosexuality is unAfrican. This condition is as African as the Ngong Hills," begins one op-ed essay. Peter Mwaura, an HIV educator, takes politicians and the Kenyan Anglican church to task for trying to create fear and panic around homosexuality.

On Sunday, the newspaper published a letter to the editor which criticized the public outrage over a recent story that alleged a schoolboy was molested by his peers: The writer says a national "culture of denial is masking a serious problem" which puts gays at higher risk because they fear reprisals. One or two op-eds may seem inconsequential; however, given recent reports the Kenyan government may decriminalize laws against gays, it is very promising news.

· "Stop discriminating against AIDS." Five thousand signatures are delivered to the office of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to protest a lawsuit that alleges employment discrimination against an HIV positive man.

Comments

[Angus Parkinson]

Discourse in Kenya is, indeed, opening up. It seems that certain sections within the Ministry of Health are now recognising that legislation which criminalises sex between men forms a barrier to effective HIV prevention efforts. Men who have sex with men (MSM) were recently included in the National Strategy for HIV 2005/6 - 2009/10 as a result of petitioning from various HIV organisations, particularly Liverpool VCT & Care, based here in Nairobi. It all looks good... The Government of Kenya went so far as to reaffirm all this at the recent UNGASS meeting in New York.

However, don't hold your breath! It's election year next year and public opinion remains heavily set against any move to liberalise laws around same sex behaviour.

This is a step in the right direction, true, - but the real challenge of moving public opinion remains.

Angus Parkinson
MSM Services Coordinator
Liverpool VCT & Care
Nairobi
Kenya
msmservices@liverpoolvct.org