US advocacy groups have called on the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to suspend talks on a bilateral trade deal with Kenya until President Ruto vetoes anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
In a letter, the U.S. civil society groups ask United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to pause United States-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) negotiations until Ruto commits to vetoing the bill.
“Pausing the trade talks aligns with the Biden Administration’s position of defending LGBTQI+ rights globally. This move would advance a worker-centered, inclusive trade policy, the letter reads.
“Moreover, stopping trade talks would send a message to countries around the world that the United States does not tolerate the violation of LGBTQI+ rights.”
Signers of the letter asserted that leaving the leverage on the table does not further the administration’s expressed priorities and sets a frightening precedent for future trade deals.
The groups spurred Biden’s administration to prioritise the request to reject any bill or policy that would enact anti-LGBTQI+ criminal penalties on Kenyans.
They also added that it is in their interest for the Kenyan government to include LGBTQI+ individuals who are directly impacted by recent attacks in the roundtables.
In the same breath, they requested Ambassador Tai to visit a healthcare facility that has faced the possibility of closure or has experienced challenges in service provision due to recent violations of LGBTQI+ rights.
“We urge you to stand up for the rights of LGBTQI+ people and to cease STIP negotiations until the Family Protection Bill is defeated,” the letter concludes.
The Family Protection Act that came to light in April 2023 seeks to criminalize same-sexual acts between consenting adults with a minimum of 10 years in prison while imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”.
The proposed legislation would also mandate the deportation of LGBTQIA refugees and asylum-seekers from Kenya.
Kenya is among the African nations that have proposed such legislation with Uganda having signed a similar bill into law. Other countries such as Ghana, Tanzania and Sudan have the same pursuit in their pipeline.
