ISSUE NO .
GAY KE N YA
NOVEMBER 2010
SENATOR DAVID KURIA—KENYA’S HARVEY MILK?
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
History has been made in
EDITORIAL 2 Kenya when David Kuria
(photo, right, up), the General
Manager of the Gay and Les-
MEET THE SENA-
2 bian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)
TOR
announced his political candi-
dacy.
SENA TOR KURIA 3 him given his activism for sex-
POLITICS David Kuria has announced his
interest for the Senate seat for
WORLD AIDS DAY 4 Kiambu County, Kenya, come
the 2012 elections.
He becomes the first openly gay
GALCK NEWS 4
man in Kenya to stand for politi-
cal office. He becomes only the
WEB NEWS 4
second openly gay African to
declare interest in running for a
political position. The first
ARTS & ACTIVISM 6 known was Ian Ollis from South
Africa.
This announcement has been
seen as a first in Kenya and
shows the remarkable progress
HIGHLIGHTS
 KIOS PROJECT
 Readers comments KIOS PROJECT
 News, stories, articles Gay Kenya is pleased to announce
from the Web that KIOS, the Finnish organization
for Human Rights, has given a total
 Advertisements of 8,900 Euros to Gay Kenya for the
implementation of a proposal on
 Q-Expressions
capacity building and human rights
trainings for the next one year.
Gay Kenya begins to implement this
project with the Training of Trainers
that will be conducted from 11th-
13th, November, 2010 in Nairobi.
of Kenyan sexual minorities in
seeking recognition and accep-
tance.
David Kuria has been the target
of evangelicals who used a
poster campaign to discredit
ual minorities.
By declaring his interest and
willingness to run for office,
David Kuria has exhibited cour-
age and heroism that is argua-
bly reminiscent of one Harvey
Milk, (photo, right, down) con-
sidered by many as a political
ancestor for gay people, a saint
and an icon.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2-3
Ten Gay Kenya members will be published in our website.
trained on diverse topics e.g.
Gay Kenya is proud to undertake
health, security, facilitation skills,
this project and extends its appre-
reporting and evaluation, human
ciation to KIOS for granting the
rights documentation, Yogyakrta
necessary financial support to un-
principles, e.t.c.
dertake this project.
In turn, these ‘trainers’ will conduct
Asanteni sana KIOS! Thank you
trainings to LGBTI communities in
KIOS!
major towns—Nairobi, Mombasa,
Kisumu, Eldoret. A tentative calen-
dar of trainings and activities will be
 GAY KENYA Page 2

EDITORIAL—DENIS NZIOKA

Its not easy to be gay, at least openly!

National Coming out Day is an internationally observed civil awareness day for coming out and discus-
sion about gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual and transgender LGBTI issues. It is observed by members of
the LGBT communities and their supporters (often referred to as "allies") on October 11 every year and
this year in Kenya this day took on an even greater prominence and center stage with the announce-
ment of political candidacy by an openly gay man.

Coming out has many implications, within and without the individual. As much as its an individual act,
it resonates in the social, economic and political life of the person. And its never easy to come out! But
in such circumstances, it helps if someone else, more daring and some say crazy, comes out and in
effect, encourages, shocks and spurs others to the same. He becomes a figure we can look up to, a
role model and someone who inspires and at the same time proves and lives life the way we would
wish to live as—openly, gay, comfortable and happy! Who doesn’t want that?

I have many icons and role models, ‘saints’ if you can call them that who I look up to and wish to emu-
late. It is a great pleasure for me to introduce you to one. Meet him below.

MEET THE SENATOR

‘I just wish more
David Kuria holds an MBA in International Business from the University of Nairobi and IS currently undertaking a
post graduate diploma in Finance at KCA University.
of my fellow
queers would
He has worked as an Associate Lecturer at Tangaza College of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), and was come out
also the Business Development Officer at the Social Ministry Research Network Centre. He has co-authored several sometimes. It’s
books on poverty alleviation and is passionate about complete eradication of extreme forms of poverty and the nice out here,
promotion of human rights especially for minorities.
you know?’
He has also authored the first ever book titled’ Understanding Homosexuality in Kenya’ that sought to highlight the Elton John
various aspects of Kenyan sexual minorities as well as the challenges they face and especially on health.

GAY ACTIVISM
David Kuria is currently the General Manager of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK). GALCK is an um-
brella body of 6 member groups—Gay Kenya, Minority Women in Action (MWA), AFRA-KENYA, Transgender Educa-
tion and Advocacy (TEA), Ishtar MSM, and PEMA-Kenya. David Kuria is the founder of Gay Kenya.

Kuria has steered the gay rights movement in Kenya by bringing together all these groups and forming a formidable
entity. He has been instrumental in the inclusion of sexual minorities in major nations policies e.g. HIV/AIDS, human
rights and media.

He oversees a staff of five people and has the overall responsibility of monitoring the member groups and at the
same time, ensuring each group grows independently and works to fulfill their respective objectives.

He has shown great prudence, judgment, leadership and managerial skills in his work. GALCK is a success story in
Kenya and a poster child of leadership, accountability and completeness among African LGBTI groups and associa-
tions.
 ISSUE NO.3 Page 3

SENATOR DAVID KURIA'S POLITICS

Electioneering in Kiambu is about the economy – stupid! Any other considerations are auxiliary – and that is why am confident that they
will become the first political constituency in Africa, out of Cape Town S.A, to elect an openly gay person. Since this publication has an
LGBTI audience, it is important for me to highlight they will benefit from my candidature, not be because am gay, but rather because of
the social economic structures that we shall put in place for the benefit of every Kiambu-ian.
So then what are these social economic structures?
A brief history of what makes the economy of Kiambu tick is necessary to illustrate the need for a new economic deal. The County with a
population of just over 1.6 million people is largely agricultural – but that is being simplistic. The County has some of the largest coffee
plantation farms in Kenya, but is also home to some of the most sub-divided lands in Kenya.
That is why in the 1980 and early 1990s, the people from Kiambu moved to other parts of the country, seeking farming lands, notably in
Rift Valley. But ethnic cleansing that characterised the late 1990s and even 2000s made such migratory ventures unfeasible. The peo-
ple have been left with few options – that is to engage in small businesses (any wonder why the hawkers in Nairobi have become so
desperate as to fight armed police with stones?) or join the dreaded Mungiki, and/or indulge in illicit and highly toxic brews to dull their
senses.
That is why a new economic deal must be put in place – recognizing that Kiambu and its people have capacity to overcome their present
predicament. Unfortunately they also have had a history electing the very same leaders who have entrenched their own poverty, and
entrenching the assumption that moving out of poverty is synonymous to moving out of Kiambu. Yet what is needed is to address the
real drivers of poverty in the region. That is why we propose a new economic deal.

The Economic deal will be based on:

1. Land ownership.
Though extremely urgent, no politician has ever dared question the policy of ownership and use of land in Kiambu. Yet it is no longer
feasible to assume that we can sustain the status quo. We shall need as people of Kiambu to recognize the cultural value and attach-
ment we have to land, and how this can be met while increasing our economic potential. No one in Kiambu, who wants to own a plot of
land, should be denied opportunity to do so – I will work to establish policies that enable that to happen.
2. Creating a Service based Economy
‘The space is
Kiambu is uniquely placed to take leadership in developing a service based economy. Moreover farming is not feasible as a long-term
economic growth solution for the Kiambu-ans. That is why we must as a people deliberately attract and retain businesses in the service
sector – this will be both about infrastructure, but also becoming the most progressive oriented county in the region. We must brand our ripe to explore
county as the destination of choice for national and international businesses – we shall necessarily have to go against the grain, espe-
cially in lieu of the “African concepts” of time, work ethic, among others. expanded
3. Inviting Top-notch Talent and Investment activism,
Human Capital is an absolutely necessary component in wealth creation. As a county we shall understand that our achievements will not
be measured against our next-door county BUT on the basis of our potential in the Global economy. As such then, we shall have to at- including direct
tract, not just investments but also the necessary human capital. The people of Kiambu have traditionally moved to other parts of the
country and the world, and know more than anyone else, how such emigration helped the recipient localities. It is now our turn to invite participation into
top-notch talent to our county.

4. Policy Based Politics public life as

For a long time, politics in Kenya have been about who spends more money on voter “gifts” and really never about policies. There must
be a fundamental and unequivocal change towards well orchestrated policies. We must engage our leaders into discussing issues rather “out” political
than unhelpfully deconstructing others on matters “below the belt”.
candidates.’
As Senator, I will not discuss personalities, but policies, especially what role the national government should have at county level. The
national government’s role will have to be limited to creating an enabling environment for the county governments to serve the needs of
their people. At county level, the government’s role will also be about creating a friendly environment for the people and businesses to David Kuria
operate with minimal interference. The county government role will also ensure comprehensive reduction of extreme forms of poverty
and highest possible form of respect for human rights for all the people of Kiambu – this measured against global standards.
As such then, Kiambu will become a place of choice for the LGBTI not merely because their rights will be respected but also because, it
will be a cosmopolitan county, with enormous economic growth opportunities.

CAMPAIGN SECRETARIAT

David is in the process of setting up a campaign secretariat. This requires not just physical space for the offices
but also an initial campaign staff. To ensure success, he is appealing for support from all well wishers - especially
because this is our collective candidature. He has opened a dedicated Campaigns Fund Account - purely for cam-
paign funds only. This account will be open to external audit, and will be operated by the Campaign Secretariat.
Help expedite the campaign process by donating to:

Dedicated Campaign Funds Accounts;

Bank Name: NIC BANK
Physical Address: NIC HOUSE BRANCH
A/C Name: David Kuria Mbote
A/C No. SA3-2350002230
Swift Code: NINCKENA - Or. Through the M-KESHO Account Through MPESA NO. 0721-360365
 GAY KENYA
WORLD AIDS DAY—30 DAY CAMPAIGN
Gay Kenya, as part of the run-
up to World AIDS Day, is
pleased to announce that it
will be holding a 30-day cam-
paign of sensitization and
awareness of HIV/AIDS
among 'Most At Risk Popula-
tions' (MARPs).
The campaign will be website
based and will feature sto-
ries, articles and general
information on HIV/AIDS and
M A R P s . A l l
GALCK NEWS
GALCK groups representatives will
be attending a Body mapping
exercise from 15-19th, November
at the German Institute.
GALCK will conduct networking
meetings with the member groups
this month. Groups are to send
representatives.
World AIDS Day (WAD) celebra-
tions planning are currently un-
derway and will be communicated
at a later date.
Ms. Keisha Adams will be giving a
FROM THE WEB—STORIES, ARTICLES, NEWS
A Kenyan transsexual blogs
and speaks about her life,
love, work, challenges and
success living as a trans
woman. Meet her here.
A report by NASCOP (Kenya)
shows that homosexuals and
injecting drug users contrib-
ute to about 30% of new HIV
infections in Kenya. For
more, go here.
African scholars and ex-
leaders have petitioned Afri-
these information will be
posted on our website.
In addition, a link for a Health
and Well-being page has
been set up and will be
the forum where health is-
sues and mental wellness
among MSMs and by exten-
sion sexual minorities will
be highlighted and possi-
bly discussed.
Therefore, we are calling on
authors/individuals or groups
talk on asylum and refugee to
GALCK member groups on 13th
November at the GALCK Center.
GALCK attended a Stigma and
Discrimination of People living
with HIV/AIDS workshop organ-
ized by the Kenya National AIDS
NGOs Consortium.
GALCK send the Inner Circle report
to UHAI, which was on Queer
Muslim Outreach which saw the
inception of Muslim Brothers and
can countries to de-
criminalize homosexuality in
order to win the war against
HIV/AIDS.
Recent development sin
Uganda seem to indicate that
the anti-gay legislation is not
yet removed or expunged.
Various reports are that the
proposal may soon be law.
Also, attacks on gays contin-
ues.
In Congo, discussions are
Page 4
or researchers who may have
any papers or pieces on HIV/
A I D S a n d
touch particularly on MARPs
to submit them
to info@gaykenya and they
will be published for
our readers, partners, mem-
bers and visitors.
Gay Kenya is extending an
invitation to all to join us in
the upcoming WAD celebra-
tions on December 1st at
KICC, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sister as a part of Gay Kenya.
GALCK met with Ms. Olivier
Oketch on the communications
strategy for GALCK and how to go
about creation of messages for
GALCK to aid in various campaigns
which will aid GALCK in making a
mark and finding various tag lines
to aid in awareness creation and
the creation of an identity to our
members, partners and stake-
holders
being held in Parliament over
a proposed legislation out-
lawing homosexuality.
In Malawi, the government
refuses to recognize homo-
sexuals as the media contin-
ues to highlight on gays.
 ISSUE NO.3
READERS’ COMMENTS & FEEDBACK
Well done to all it is good to
see progress albeit small who
would have thought a Kenyan
Minister would come out
openly to support gay rights a
few years ago ! Regis Mtutu,
Sonke Gender Justice Net-
work South Africa
What a fantastic newspaper!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Best. Sarah, AJWS, USA
Excellent, at last something
wholeheartedly to update,
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 www.gaykenya.com Gay Kenya is a Human
Rights, Media and Reli-
gious Advocacy group
GAY KENYA for LGBTI Kenyans.
Founded in 2004, the
Gay Kenya vision of Gay Kenya is
(Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya) to create an environ-
P. O Box 13005-00100 ment in which LGBTI
NAIROBI, KENYA
persons in Kenya will
E-mail: info@gaykenya.com
not be unfairly discrimi-
Phone: (+254) 700 71 85 85
nated on any grounds
Website: www.gaykenya.com
and especially not on
the basis of their sex-
ual orientation.

B R I D G I N G T H E D I V E R S I T Y G A P

Gay Kenya Newsletter is published monthly by Gay Kenya

(member of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya). The newslet-
ter and the logo remain the exclusive property of Gay Kenya and
any distribution or citation is welcome as long as due credit is
given and no copyrights infringes are made.

Editor—In—Chief: Denis Nzioka

Contributors: David Kuria

ARTS AND ACTIVISM

AFRA-Kenya* is pleased to These forums are to help

announce the first ever ‘Q
Expressions.’
This is a monthly art forum
where queer/gay people
meet to discuss, critique,
look at and advice each other
on all forms of art.
This forum begins in Novem-
ber and is open to all. Its also
a medium to discover all arts
e.g. writing, film and theater,
music, photography, poetry,
fashion and design, spoken
word, drawing, modeling,
e.t.c.
people discover their talent P.O. Box 13005-00100
and see how they can best Nairobi, Kenya
use them for advocacy. In
addition, they will learn how info@afrakenya.org
to earn a living using their
preferred form . www.afrakenya.org
Most importantly, is to create (+254) 738 550 095
dialogue among the gay com-
munity and the rest of Ken-
yans.
For more information, con- *AFRA-Kenya is an LBT
tact AFRA KENYA via the fol- group that uses the Arts to
advocate for equal rights.
lowing:
Its also a member group of
GALCK
AFRA-KENYA