Last Sunday, Kenyans were up in arms when Bishop Allan and Cathy Kiuna welcomed CNN Business anchor Richard Quest to their church.
The ‘Quest Means Business’ host is openly gay hence the mixed reactions from Kenyans who felt that the Kiuna’s would have never had him at their church if he was a ‘commoner.’ But that is Kenya for you, we have no problem with gay men, just don’t welcome them to church.
In fact the Kiunas were defended by a very unlikely boss, I am talking about self proclaimed oral police man Ezekiel Mutual.
The KFCB boss said “Quest may be gay, but he is a top notch journalist who can sense newsworthy stories with unique angles,” he posted.
In a lengthy post, Mutua said that the CNN journalist was not in Kenya to sell gay ideologies but was “there to cover a story of resilience and hope.”
“No one can deny the fact that the Kiunas have given hope to many youths. Theirs is the true story of audacity of hope. Such are the unique stories that need to be highlighted about Kenya. Quest may be gay, but he is a top notch journalist who can sense newsworthy stories with unique angles,” he said.
The situation is however not the same in the neighboring Tanzania, where the government has created an anti-gay police unit.
A Tanzanian governor has announced the creation of a surveillance squad dedicated to hunting down gay people.
Paul Makonda, governor of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, told reporters round-ups would begin next week.
The team will scrutinise social media in order to track down and arrest people in same sex couples, he added.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Tanzania, where anti-gay rhetoric has been on the rise since President John Magufuli’s election in 2015.
Many gay, lesbian and transgender people are forced to hide their sexuality as a result. Last year, the country’s deputy health minister defended a threat to publish a list of gay people.
Mr Makonda – a staunch ally of the president – said he expected international criticism for the move, but added: “I prefer to anger those countries than to anger God.”
“Give me their names,” Mr Makonda was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. “My ad hoc team will begin to get their hands on them next Monday.”
According to Mr Makonda, the 17-member team would comprise of state officials from the Tanzania Communications Authority, the police and media practitioners.
He also warned people to delete any naked photos on their mobile phones and promised strong measures against pornography.
Meanwhile, HIV clinics have also been forced to close after being accused of promoting homosexuality.