Harsh sentences for assault on gay men mark breakthrough in Kenya rights battle

The sentencing of two people to 15 years in prison for violently robbing two gay men in Nairobi is being hailed by LGBTQ+ advocates as a rare but significant victory in Kenya’s hostile climate for sexual minorities.

On 3 March, the Milimani law courts in Nairobi convicted “Abel Meli & Another” of robbery with violence, a serious offence under Kenyan law. The pair had lured the victims to a private residence, where the men were subjected to hours of beatings, threats and extortion.

The Guardian reports that the attack took place in April 2023, after one of the victims, using a Facebook connection, agreed to meet a man at his home. Shortly after they arrived, three others burst in. For roughly four hours, the two young men – both in their mid‑20s and identified under pseudonyms as Eric Anyango and his friend Joe Ochieng – were slapped, kicked and threatened at knifepoint. Their phones, wallets and clothes were taken, and they were forced to call friends and relatives to send money under the threat that they would be outed and killed.

“I tried to resist and I wanted to fight back,” Anyango recalled. “That’s when one of them took a knife, held it at me and said: ‘If you don’t cooperate now, I will stab you and throw you out the window.’” By the end of the ordeal, the attackers had extorted 100,000 Kenyan shillings (£576) before releasing them.

Once home, Anyango reached out to a friend who connected him to Ishtar, a community-based group supporting men who have sex with men. A paralegal from Ishtar, Lucas Wafula, accompanied the pair to lodge a complaint with police, leading to the arrest of two of the assailants and, ultimately, their conviction.

LGBTQ+ rights groups say the case marks a rare instance in which queer Kenyans achieved redress in the courts. “A lot is going against [the queer community] with the existence of the criminal laws and prevailing homophobic attitudes, but some of us still trust that we can find justice, so this case encourages us,” said Njeri Gateru, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC).

Kenya is one of 31 African countries that still criminalise consensual same-sex relations, which can carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. Deep social stigma leaves many LGBTQ+ people living in secrecy and fear. Activists say that, against this backdrop, targeted blackmail and extortion – frequently accompanied by violence – has surged.

Ishtar documented 226 cases of blackmail and extortion against queer men in 2025 alone, and 61 cases in the first two months of 2026. Many involve threats to expose victims to their families, employers or communities, exploiting both criminal law and social prejudice.

“Blackmailers rely on fear of self‑incrimination,” Gateru explained. “If I say that I met a man on an app and hoped to have an intimate relationship, I risk becoming evidence against myself. They also rely on pervasive homophobia within public institutions and the general public, which creates conditions for them to operate with impunity.”

Gateru said the two convicted attackers were part of a broader criminal network, which LGBTQ+ organisations believe includes some members of the security services and preys specifically on queer men. “We had so many files against them,” she said. “We’ve had cases where these two men were arrested for other cases and later released. This can now serve as a deterrent to other gang members who have seen that the law has finally caught up.”

A spokesperson for the Kenyan National Police Service, Michael Nyaga, said he had no knowledge of police complicity in such gangs but added that, “with the correct leads or hints, we would be duty‑bound to act on any complaint raised.”

LGBTQ+ advocates warn that the broader political and social environment remains fragile. The Family Protection Bill 2023, introduced by MP Peter Kaluma, seeks to intensify penalties for same-sex relations, restrict LGBTQ+-inclusive education and curb freedom of expression. “We are not sure what stage the bill is at, so there is animosity and fear around it,” said Ishtar’s programmes manager, Kelly Kigera. “The political climate is changing and there is an anti‑rights movement in the country. Churches have been educating congregations on how to profile queer people, which has led to rising violence.”

Many survivors of blackmail and assault do not report abuse, citing harassment and discrimination at police stations. “Often, when you go to a police station, you are told you are not a normal citizen and they throw away your case,” Wafula said.

For Anyango and Ochieng, the court ruling offers a measure of closure but not complete healing. “I was emotionally and physically damaged,” Ochieng said. “I lost everything I was building for a better life in the future on a random date.” Both say they now struggle to trust others.

Still, they hope their case will encourage more victims to come forward. “If you have been blackmailed, don’t be afraid,” Anyango urged. “There is justice – go to the police station. No one has the right to abuse you or do anything.”

Names have been changed for safety.