Editor's note: Read the report here.
Eleven organizations and networks [1] have released a new report, Lives on the Line, documenting more than 2,100 cases of violence, harassment, and discrimination against sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) in Kenya between October 2023 and September 2024.
The report records 682 cases of harassment, 440 physical assaults, 91 sexual assaults, and 102 evictions. Nairobi, Thika, Machakos, and the Coast emerged as the most affected areas, accounting for more than 80 percent of the incidents.
Transgender persons reported the highest number of violations at 708 cases, representing nearly a third of all documented abuses. The report notes that most perpetrators were people known to the survivors, including intimate partners, family members, clients, and service providers.
The findings directly challenge a 2019 High Court ruling that dismissed claims of violence against LGBTIQ+ persons due to a lack of evidence, the report says. “The data shows persistent abuse that cannot be ignored. This calls for urgent action to uphold constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity,” the report adds.
The report further warns of the role of negative media narratives and inflammatory rhetoric in fueling hostility, linking more than 300 violations to media-driven stigma and misinformation.
The organizations and networks are calling on the government to repeal discriminatory provisions in the Penal Code, reject laws that criminalize LGBTIQ+ identities, strengthen safe reporting mechanisms for hate crimes, and provide training for police, health workers, and judicial officers.
“Lives are literally on the line, and society can no longer turn a blind eye,” Adrian Kibe of KHRC said during the launch.
[1] Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Coast Sex Worker Alliance, Dream Achievers Youth Organization (DAYO), galck+, Hope Rekindled, Kenya Sex Workers Alliance, LEHA, National Trans Advocacy Network, Jinsiangu, Rural to Global, and the Western Situation Room Kenya
