The sentencing of two people who attacked and robbed two gay men in Kenya has been hailed by LGBTQ+ rights advocates as a breakthrough and a sign of hope for the country’s queer community. “Abel Meli & Another” were sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery with violence on 3 March at Milimani law courts in Nairobi.
The ruling is a rare example of justice being served for the queer community in Kenya. Njeri Gateru, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, an independent human rights institution working towards equality for sexual and gender minorities in Kenya, said: “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.”
Kenya is one of 31 countries in Africa that still criminalises homosexuality. Gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison and many members of the queer community are shunned by society. Many keep their sexual orientation a secret. In recent years hostility towards queer people has increased because of a worsening legal landscape for gay rights in the region, a cut in funding for organisations advocating for gay rights and a global anti-rights backlash.
There has been a rise in incidents of blackmail and extortion, often accompanied by violence, according to human rights groups in Kenya. Ishtar, a community-based organisation that advocates for the rights of men who have sex with men, recorded 226 cases of blackmail and extortion in 2025. In the first two months of 2026 there were 61.
The family protection bill 2023, which seeks to increase already harsh punishments for same-sex relations as well as impose new restrictions on LGBTQ+ inclusive education and limit freedom of expression, was introduced by the Kenyan MP Peter Kaluma. “We are not sure what stage the bill is at, so there is animosity and fear around it,” said Kelly Kigera, the programmes manager at Ishtar. “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.”
Lucas Wafula*, a paralegal from Ishtar who accompanied the victims to the police station, said: “Often, when you go to a police station, you are harassed and discriminated against. They tell you that you are not a normal citizen and they throw away your case.”
In April 2023, Eric Anyango* and his friend Joe Ochieng* endured hours of violence and verbal abuse after they met a man Ochieng had been speaking to on Facebook. Not long after they arrived at the man’s house, three other men came crashing through the door.
For the next four hours, Anyango and Ochieng, both in their mid 20s, were slapped, kicked and beaten. Their phones, wallets and clothes were taken, and they were forced to call friends and family to get them to transfer as much money as possible to their online accounts. If they refused, they would be outed to their families, who didn’t know they were gay, and killed.
“I tried to resist and I wanted to fight back,” said Anyango. “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.’”
After the pair called several relatives and friends and transferred 100,000 Kenyan shillings (£576) to their blackmailers’ accounts, they were released.
When they got home, Anyango told a friend, who referred him to Ishtar. Wafula went with them to report what had happened to the police, and two of the attackers were arrested.
Gateru claimed the two perpetrators were part of a larger criminal gang, involving members of the police, which regularly terrorised queer men. There are several of these organised cartels operating throughout Kenya, according to Gateru. “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.”
Michael Nyaga, a spokesperson for the Kenyan national police service, said he had not heard accusations of police being involved. “However, with the correct leads or hints, we would be duty-bound to act on any complaint raised,” he said.
Many cases of blackmail and extortion go unreported, Gateru said. “There’s always that fear of self-incrimination. If I say that I met with a man on Grindr and I was hoping to engage in a romantic or an intimate relationship with this man, then obviously I’m evidence against myself. So the blackmailers rely on that.
“They also rely on the pervasive homophobia and homophobic attitudes within public institutions and also within the general public. And so this creates a situation that makes it possible for them to operate with quite a bit of impunity.”
Anyango and Ochieng are happy justice has been served, but they have been left scarred by their ordeal. “I was emotionally and physically damaged,” said Ochieng. “I lost everything I was building for a better life in the future on a random date.” Both find it hard to trust people.
Their message to others who may suffer a similar fate is to report it. “If you have been blackmailed, don’t be afraid,” said Anyango. “There is justice, go to the police station. No one has the right to abuse you or do anything.”
* Names have been changed
