Businesses came to a standstill for over an hour in Lamu Old Town Friday as locals in the predominantly Muslim area held an anti-LGBTQ protest.
Hundreds of demonstrators, led by Muslim clerics and youth groups, marched around holding placards in protest over a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the registration of an organisation championing gay rights.
The climax of the Friday demos was a large anti-LGBTQ rally at Mkunguni Square where various religious leaders preached and called on the Lamu community to remain united.
Lamu residents during an anti-LGBTQ protest in Lamu Old Town on March 17, 2023.
Photo credit: Kalume Kazungu | Nation Media Group
Present at the protests were Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics (CICC) chairperson Mohamed Abdulkadir, Swafaa Mosque Imam Idarus Alwy and Lamu Youth Alliance (LYA) Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Walid, among others.
Mr Walid called for a review of the school curriculum while claiming that some books were perpetuating homosexuality.
“It’s also high time that even the syllabus is scrutinised. We fear some CBC books are promoting this,” he said.
