Kenya's Prime Minister: I Was Misquoted, Gays Won't Be Arrested

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga now says he's been misquoted and that homosexuals will not be rounded up and arrested.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Thursday denied that he had ordered a nationwide crackdown on homosexuals but maintained that such unions were illegal. He argued that he was misquoted and that his statements were not meant to victimise anyone because: “I understand there are gay rights.” The Premier, who was speaking during the opening session of the review on Kenya’s progress two years after the National Dialogue and Reconciliation Accord was signed, also argued that he was only highlighting some of the half truths that were used during the referendum campaigns. “It was said that I ordered the arrest of gay people but nothing could be further from the truth. I did not say that. I was just explaining the propaganda used by people who were campaigning against the new constitution,” he argued.

Contradicting Odinga's claim of being misquoted is the video tape of his speech in which he clearly says: “We will not tolerate such behaviour in the country. The Constitution is very clear on this issue and men or women found engaging in homosexuality will not be spared. Any man found engaging in sexual activities with another man should be arrested. Even women found engaging in sexual activities will be arrested."