NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 26 — The Nairobi-based CITAM Church has faulted Friday’s decision by the Supreme Court allowing the LGBT community the form a lobby group.
Christ Is The Answer Ministries, through its Bishop Calisto Odede, termed the ruling as contradictory in a statement circulated on Sunday.
Odede said the ruling is against the cultural norms and called upon Christians and Kenyans to reject the ruling.
“We encourage Kenyans of moral integrity to reject, resist and oppose this supreme court ruling as it will erode our societal norms and morals,” CITAM’s Presiding Bishop stated.
Odede said the ruling sets a bad precedent arguing pedophiles, and those who violate other norms, could seek similar reliefs.
“The Bible speaks seven times about this kind of relationship directly; Ge.19:1-11; Lev 18:22; 20:13; Judge 19:22-25; Roman 1:25-26; 1 Cor.6:9, 1 Tim.1:9-10. In all these passages, homosexuality is not approved but rather is viewed as sinful, unnatural and perverted,” he stated.
CITAM said affirmed that the Church was willing to help those struggling with homosexuality through counselling and prayers.
The decision
In its ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court affirmed a finding by lower courts that quashed the decision by the NGO Board to decline an LGBT lobby group formal registration.
The decision by the apex court followed an appeal arising form the Court of Appeal by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) had successfully challenged an appeal by the board against a favorable High Court decision.
The Supreme Court held the board violated the right to non-discrimination by refusing to accept the names proposed.
“The court was of the view that the appellant’s decision was discriminatory and that it would be unconstitutional to limit the right to associate, through denial of registration of an association, purely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the applicants,” the court ruled.
The court however pointed out that all persons, whether heterosexual, lesbian, gay, intersex or otherwise, will be subject to sanctions if they contravene existing laws, including Sections 162, 163 and 165 of the Penal Code.
The Penal Code provisions prohibit same-sex relations.
Justices Mohamed Ibrahim and William Ouko however wrote dissenting opinions against a majority decision by Justices Philomena Mwilu (DCJ), Smokin Wanjala, and Njoki Ndung’u.
Ibrahim and Ouko held the decision by the NGO Board was not discriminatory and that it did not infringe Article 27 of the Constitution (2010).
The two also argued that the board has the discretion to refuse to register any association if the association does not meet certain specified conditions spelt in the law.
