President Uhuru Kenyatta's interview with CNN's Christian Amanpour aired on Friday night and when asked about gay rights in Kenya, he categorically stated that it was a non-issue.
Kenyatta added that he was not willing to discuss the matter since it is something most Kenyans do not identify with.
“I want to be very clear, I will not engage in any subject that is not of any major importance to the people and the Republic of Kenya.
"This is not an issue of human rights, this is an issue of society, of our own base as a culture as a people regardless of which society you come from.
[caption caption="Uhuru During the CNN Interview with Amanpour"]
[/caption]
"This is not acceptable, this is not agreeable,” he remarked.
The Head of State reiterated that his sentiments represented those of the country but maintained that no one should be attacked or condemned because of what they believe in.
“But, they also must recognize that their freedom must also be taken into the entire context of the society that they live in because this is not a question of the government accepting or not accepting. This is a question of society,”
Kenyatta further asserted that under the prevailing laws, he cannot allow same-sex activities to be tolerated unless, in future days, the law is repealed to allow it.
“Maybe our society will have reached a stage where those are issues that people are willing freely and open to discuss.
“Those are the laws that we have and those are the laws that are 100 percent supported by 99 percent of Kenyans regardless of where they come from,” he added.
During former US President Barrack Obama's visit to Kenya in 2015, Uhuru urged the US to respect the will of the Kenyan society, which he said had rejected same-sex marriages.
“We share a lot of things but gay issues are not among them… We cannot impose on people what they don't accept," he remarked.
Here is the video courtesy of CNN:
[video:]
