Promoting dignity and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya
In December 2024, Commonwealth Alumnus Azenath Okemwa delivered a training workshop for community members in Kisii county, Kenya to raise awareness of the challenges faced by gender and sexual minorities and promote LGBTQ+ rights.
Azenath Okemwa is a Project Coordinator at the Centre for Community Mobilization and Empowerment (CECOME), an organisation supporting young women’s rights.
Her activity promoted the ACEF theme, Gender and sexuality.
Challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya
In Kenya, consensual same-sex relations are criminalised. Members of the LGBTQ+ community face continual rhetoric that same sex relationships is an immoral practice and against religious and cultural teaching, leading to harassment, exclusion, rejection, stigmatisation, and mental health issues.
Due to the criminalisation of consensual same-sex relations, LGBTQ+ persons do not report incidents of violence and discrimination as they lack legal protection and have limited access to support services. This has resulted in a significant gap in data on the needs of and challenges face by LGBTQ+ persons to inform the implementation and provision of targeted services.
Although efforts have been made to include intersex persons in the national population census, there is an ongoing need to address existing concerns of the LGBTQ+ community, such as recognition on official documents, safeguarding against violations of rights based on gender identity, and protection against discrimination and stigma.
One-day awareness event
On 17 December 2024, Azenath delivered a one-day event for stakeholders from Kisii county to promote the rights and gender and sexual minorities.
Azenath Okemwa with the panellists
The event brought together 50 participants, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, their friends and family, and representatives from the Centre for Community Mobilization and Empowerment, Allies for Change, The Eagles for Life Kenya, AIPEC International, Intersex Kenya Education and Advocacy (IKEA), Udada Imara and Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, and the local police.
Special guests included Frankie Kibagendi, Founder of Intersex Kenya Education and Advocacy (I.K.E.A), Mrs Stella Achoki, Executive Director at CECOME, Mr Douglas Arege, Director-Kisii County Gender department, and Mr Matundura, Director-Kisii County Public Participation department.
The event was co-moderated by Edna Atambo, Program Director, The Eagles for Life, an organisation promoting the rights of gender and sexual minorities in Kisii County.
Discussions on LGBTQ+ rights
The programme was comprised of presentations and discussion on LGBTQ+ rights, with the aim of informing the development of workable strategies and partnerships to support gender and sexual minorities in Kisii county.
Frankie Kibagendi, Founder of I.K.E.A, opened the discussion. Representing gender minorities, he shared his personal experience of undergoing intersex genital mutilation, a surgery performed on intersex children to conform to societal norms of male or female gender. Frankie emphasised the harmful impact of such surgeries on mental health, noting there is no guarantee a person will retain the gender assigned to them at birth once they reach puberty.
He also discussed the significant milestone in 2019 when Kenya recognised intersex people through the census and how he was the first intersex individual to contest for a political seat in 2022.
“This is the first, big, well-organised platform in Kisii County that I have gotten to freely talk about intersex rights and my experience. I am so humbled to have helped break down some of the often-confused terms in my community. Thank you to the organisers for making this possible for me and other intersex people. I look forward to more collaboration.”
Frankie Kibagendi
Following Frankie’s discussion, Christine Bosibori Nyandoro, Program Director Udada Imara, an organisation supporting LGBTQ+ community, shared the challenges faced by sexual minorities. She highlighted that sexual orientation is determined by mental, emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual attraction while gender identity can manifest through expression and sexual characteristics.
The next topical discussion was led by a religious leader on how religion plays a role in the stigmatisation of the LGBTQ+ community and the alternative role it should play in promoting inclusion. He shared church-led efforts to improve and emphasise the importance of growing emotionally to achieve spiritual growth and reiterated that the church should be a welcoming space for everyone.
The final discussion was led by the Linet Mokaya, County Oncology focal person and mental health advocate. They presented on the barriers preventing LGBTQ+ people in accessing healthcare. As a youth and gender affairs champion and sexual minority advocacy expert, she highlighted the measures implemented by the Ministry of Health, including staff capacity strengthening on gender issues and intentionally collaborating with gender and sexual minorities through active engagement in their activities and referrals for healthcare services.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on LGBTQ+ rights led by a Human Rights Lawyer and legislative drafting expert. They discussed the Kenyan Constitution and LGBTQ+ rights, the progress made in Kenya regarding LGBTQ+ rights, legal frameworks that promote LGBTQ+ rights, and gaps in the law that can be leveraged to promote LGBTQ+ rights.
The panel discussion included a Q&A and sharing session, encouraging attendees to share their experiences of living in a homophobic community and for their families and friends to share their experiences of being related to an LGBTQ+ person.
Sharing feedback
Reflecting on their experiences participating in the event, gender and sexual minority representatives acknowledged this was the first activity of its kind in the county and were keen to promote inclusion through further engagements.
Mrs Stella Achoki, an expert in addressing gender issues and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), shared that the event was an eye opener in understanding Intersex Genital Mutilation and vouched to advocate to spread further awareness.
“I didn’t know there was such a thing as Intersex Genital Mutilation. It is quite sad that that’s happening at this time and age. As from today, as CECOME advocates against Female Genital Mutilation. We shall include anti-Intersex Genital Mutilation messages in our work and we hope that Frankie can be available to create more awareness on the same at the community level.”
Stella Achoki, CECOME Executive Director
Strengthening advocacy efforts to promote LGBTQ+ rights
Following the event, stakeholders have reached out to Azenath to strengthen efforts in promoting LGBTQ+ rights and two healthcare workers have actively encouraged members of the LGBTQ+ community to reach out to the Level 6 Health Facility in the County to seek healthcare services without fear of stigmatisation.
Azenath and Frankie Kibagendi are planning to deliver a similar activity at the wider community level.
Azenath also received support from Mr Matundura, Director-Kisii County Public Participation Department asserting that the County government will work towards promoting diversity and inclusion.
“I honestly used to think being intersex is just about being born with both male and female genitalia. Thank you for the explanation because I feel the term is quite misunderstood even amongst activists. We should get this information to the villages so that the minorities access their rights”.
Mr Matundura, Director-Kisii County Public Participation Department
Eagles for Life Kenya have collaborated with Azenath to discuss ways they can borrow from the ACEF activity strategy to deliver their activities in 2025.
Azenath stresses there is still a long way to go in promoting LGBTQ+ rights in Kisii county but with the right strategy and resources, progress will be made. The LGBTQ+ community do not have access to mental health support, however through her networks, Azenath hopes to bridge this gap by offering psychological support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Azenath Okemwa is a 2023 Commonwealth Professional Fellow from Kenya. She completed her Fellowship at the University of Kent.
Challenges facing marginalised communities in accessing healthcare in Nigeria
Homosexuality is criminalised in Nigeria, making the LGBTQ+ community at risk of harassment, violence and marginalisation. These threats create barriers to accessing critical services for the LGBTQ+ community, including healthcare. The Southeast region of Nigeria, particularly Abia State, is no exception to the trend of excluding the gender and sexual minority community from healthcare services.
Healthcare providers play a crucial role in ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals receive appropriate care and support. However, due to stigma and a lack of knowledge about health issues specific to LGBTQ+ individuals, the prevalence of diseases such as HIV and mental health problems are increasing amongst the LGBTQ+ community
A multifaceted approach is needed to address the health challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community to improve access to essential, ethical and quality health services.
Awareness workshop for healthcare professionals
Dr Okolie organised a two-day training for health workers from three hospitals in the region to build capacity to create an inclusive and safe space for LGBTQ+ patients. The training brought together 57 health workers trained in LGBTQ+ care representing clinical and non-clinical groups. Following the training, the hospitals would participate in a pilot programme to deliver LGBTQ+ inclusive healthcare services.
Prior to the training, Dr Okolie conducted a base line assessment at the three hospitals to determine the level of awareness on sexual health and LGBTQ+ rights to health care. Dr Okolie used the findings to develop the training content. The objectives of the training were to increase knowledge and awareness of LGBTQ+, discuss challenges faced by LGBTQ+ in accessing healthcare, and make healthcare safer for LGBTQ+ individuals in Abia.
Dr Okolie leveraged his professional network to invite expert guests, including those he made his Commonwealth Professional Fellowship at the Department of Primary Care and Population Science at the University College London (UCL).
Session by a facilitator
Alongside speakers from UCL, special guests included Mr Davis Akuye, Executive Director of Safe Haven, a popular civil society group for the sexual minorities in Nigeria, and Dr Kelechi Omende, the Abia State HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, representing the Commissioner for Health. Representatives from Synergy for Health Rights and Education-SHRE and RosBen Grassroots Foundation were also in attendance.
Improving healthcare for LGBTQ+
The two-day training was both didactic and interactive. The first day was aimed at clinical health workers and the second day was organised for the non-clinical workers.
Using the training objectives to structure the programme, speakers delivered a range of sessions designed to support participants in applying their learning to improve healthcare for LGBTQ+ patients.
Dr Charles C Okolie with Dr Julia Bailey (on screen)
Dr Julia Bailey, sexual health expert and Associate Professor of sexual health at UCL spoke about gender diversity and sexual healthcare. Dr Bailey highlighted the definition of gender diversity as a recognition of the wide spectrum of identities that exist beyond binary categories of male and female, encompassing the understanding that individuals may identify as non-binary, genderqueer, trans-gender and many other identities. This understanding fosters inclusivity and helps challenge stereotypes and biases tied to rigid gender norms.
Prof Irwin Nazareth, Professor of primary care and works at UCL, discussed sexuality and healthcare. Prof Nazareth discussed that patients may face judgment or unequal treatment based on their sexuality or sexual practices. He addressed sexuality in healthcare is essential for fostering equity, empathy, and comprehensive care for all individuals.
Following this, Dr Tom Witney, a Research Fellow at UCL delivered a session on sexual health, HIV and relationships. The discussion focused on some of the basic concepts and terminologies in sexuality and sexual orientation which include: coming out, down low, men who sleep with men, homosexuality, heteronormativity, homophobia, ally, use of person-centred language during consultations.
The training concluded with a session on how to set up an LGBTQ+ friendly hospital facility, delivered by Dr Gabriel Obokon, an epidemiologist and HIV specialist. Dr Gabriel encouraged participants to be proactive in making healthcare safer for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Setting pilot facilities for inclusive healthcare services
As a result of the training and Dr Okolie’s outreach, three pilot facilities have been set up to offer inclusive health services to sexual and gender minorities.
Through the pilot facilities, Dr Okolie is tracking the post-training indicators to review the impact of the training. This will help understand the number of stakeholders engaged in creating an inclusive health service in Abia State, the number of LGBTQ+ persons seeking health services, changes in the quality of care provided to LGBTQ+ patients, and the promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for sexual and gender minorities.
Dr Charles Chukwuemeka Okolie is a 2023 Commonwealth Professional Fellow from Nigeria. He completed his Fellowship at the Department of Primary Care and Population Studies, University Colleg London.
