As we launch Queering the Ballot Phase II, let’s be clear: the ballot revolution in Kenya is upon us, and it must include LGBTQ+ Kenyans.
We meet at a precarious moment. Political uncertainties are mounting, the economy is strained, civic space is shrinking, anti‐rights rhetoric is rising, and queer Kenyans continue to pay a heavy price for daring to exist. That is why today matters. This is not just the unveiling of a report; it is the continuation of a bold commitment toward political liberation, and a collective insistence that democracy in Kenya belongs to all of us. “We cannot continue to live in a country where some people think they own Kenya more than others,” the late Right Honourable Raila Odinga.
We gather at a pivotal point in Kenya’s democratic story. The first election we are going into with the weakest opposition - One truth remains unshaken: LGBTQ+ persons are, and have always been, part of Kenya’s democratic fabric. Some people are late to the party, but we welcome them nonetheless. And we are here today because we refuse to be erased.
Article 38 of the Constitution promises political participation to all citizens, yet systemic exclusion persists. Elections in Kenya are often high‐risk periods. They amplify social and historical tensions that haunt this country. They also provide cover for mobilised hostility, scapegoating, and general crime. But they also provide moments of hope that a better Kenya can be dreamed and imagined.- Yvee Oduor, Executive Coordinator @galckplus
#QueeringTheBallot #OurVoteOurFuture
"No one should be forced to choose between their identity and their citizenship,"- Adrian Kibe @thekhrc
“We need to train more media personalities who can walk our talk for inclusive narratives”- Frank Kibagendi
"Storytelling is at the core of politics…Media can work for you or against you, when I was running for the 2012/2013 elections, everyone wanted to interview me as the first openly gay man to run for political office.”-David Kuria
“We need to show up and visibly so in political parties , as we have the power and the vote,”-Carol Rucah
#QueeringTheBallot #OurVoteOurFuture
There’s a Kikuyu Korean chic on Twitter who posted herself singing a Mugithi song and someone commented, “Rathimwo watashi wa star,” and I can’t stop laughing 😂💀