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Rufaro Samanga
May. 24, 2019 03:00PM EST
Via Flickr Creative Commons

Kenya's Courts Have Failed the LGBT Community Once Again

The High Court has decided that homosexuality will not be decriminalized in Kenya.

The LGBT community in Kenya and its allies have been struck a heavy blow. Kenya's High Court has decided to uphold the criminal status of homosexuality in the country, according to the BBC.

Whilst it is not illegal to be a homosexual in Kenya, in practice, the current laws do criminalize any sexual intimacy between members of the same sex.

In 2016, LGBT activists filed a petition to repeal section 162 of Kenya's Penal Code which states: "Any person who: Has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature."

On social media, #Repeal162 gained momentum as people from all over the world rallied together and stood in solidarity with Kenyans. After a disappointing postponement of the ruling back in February, Kenyans expected the country to make a historical judgement in favor of a marginalized and disenfranchised community.

However, the High Court has decided to rather stand on the side of injustice and insist that it has not been provided with enough evidence for discrimination against the LGBTQ community to change the law.

Hivos, a non-profit organisation that fights against discrimination, abuse of power and inequality, said the following:

"Today, May 24 2019, is a sad day indeed. The Kenyan High Court missed a golden opportunity to protect the human rights of all its citizens by failing to repeal section 162 of the penal code that criminalizes consensual sexual conduct between two adults of the same sex."

The organisation also added that, "So the struggle for human rights continues. Together with our partners we will continue to advocate for the rights of everyone to freely be themselves and participate in society."

Many have rightfully expressed their disappointment on social media:




kenya lgbt politics
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Zimbabwean Police Are Using Violence to Disperse Peaceful Protesters

Authorities in Harare are allegedly enforcing a ban issued by the country's High Court on anti-government protests.

Yesterday, the Zimbabwean police announced that they were issuing an order banning the anti-government protests organized by the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Currently led by Nelson Chamisa, the MDC attempted to file an appeal with the High Court to have the ban revoked but failed. Although the party then called off the intended protests early this morning, there were already scores of MDC supporters who had turned up in the central business district of Harare today. They were subsequently dispersed with tear gas, water canons and beaten by the police, TimesLive reports.

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South Africans Remember the Tragic Marikana Massacre at Lonmin Mine

Seven years ago today, 34 miners were gunned down by police and justice is still not yet on the horizon.

Today is the seventh year anniversary of the Marikana Massacre which took place at Lonmin Mine. Situated in South Africa's North West province, workers at the mine downed their tools and embarked on protests where they demanded that their salaries be increased. In the week leading up to the tragic day of August 16th, there were numerous attempts by trade unions such as the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) to bring an end to the clashes between the mineworkers and the police. Their attempts were in vain. Thirty-four miners were gunned down by police and several others injured in what was the worst loss of human life at the hands of the police since the Apartheid era.

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Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC.

Cameroonian UFC Fighter Francis Ngannou Is Set To Join the 9th 'Fast & Furious' Installment

"The Predator" will be the third UFC fighter to make an appearance in the blockbuster franchise.

This Cameroonian UFC fighter will be making his first movie appearance in the next installment of Fast & Furious, Deadline reports.

Francis Ngannou will be playing a character that has yet to be announced in the ninth Fast & Furious movie—the third UFC fighter to join the blockbuster franchise. The film is set to be released May 22, 2020.

Known in the ring as "The Predator," he currently ranks second in the heavyweight division, Deadline adds.

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Listen to Swae Lee & Drake's​ New Single 'Won't Be Late,' Produced by Tekno

As well as production, Tekno also gets a writing credit on the new song.

Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee drops two new singles today, "Won't Be Late" featuring Drake and "Sextasy."

"Won't Be Late" is notably produced by Nigeria's own Tekno. The new single is built on a mid tempo, afro-fusion-inspired beat, filled with claps, and light keyboard chords.

As well as production, Tekno also gets a writing credit on the new song. You can hear his input when Drake sings lines like, 'Ikebe, pressing on me heavy' and 'Bakasi, moving on me wassy.'

If you remember, Drake shouted out Tekno last year as one of his many inspirations behind Scorpion and posted a picture of them working on something together.

"Won't Be Late" is paired with Swae Lee's "Sextasy" which was produced by Mike WiLL Made-It and Chopsquad DJ.

Tekno's had a lively past few months. He was recently featured in Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift album and dropped his "Agege" collaboration with Zlatan. He was also accused of being a "threat to security" by Nigeria's Council for Arts & Culture for that single's pole dancing video.

Listen to "Won't Be Late" below.

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