Group Condemns LGBT Attacks In Kenya, Wants Police To Prosecute Offenders

Homophobic mobs have repeatedly attacked lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Kenya but police are unwilling to
even attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice, rights groups said this
morning.

Homosexuality is taboo in almost all African countries. Violence against LGBT people
is common in the east African nation, but victims fear reporting hate crimes to
the police who, in turn, often refuse to pursue their cases is beginning to be
of no use, but the right groups now want the police to take such cases
seriously.

There have been at least six incidents since 2008 of mob
violence against LGBT minorities on the coast, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and
PEMA Kenya, a community organisation in the coastal city of Mombasa, said in a
report.

The groups are also accusing religious leaders of often been
at the forefront of inciting violence against LGBT people.

To them, the police rescue LGBT people in most of the
incidents but they do not arrest anyone for the attacks, which is not fair to
them.

Documented several cases where the police humiliated,
dismissed or refused to take statements from LGBT people who tried to report
crimes, such as gang rape and others are also available according to them. They
now want the government to do more to prevent and respond to violence against
LGBT people.