CAPE TOWN - Kenya’s minister of education, George Magoha has warned gay pupils who attend boarding school to stop infringing on the rights of other pupils. Magoha said those "moving from one bed to another" should be admitted to day schools.
He said that while he had nothing against gay students, having them in day schools would allow closer supervision by their parents.
His comments come after a male secondary school student was reportedly assaulted at a boarding school in the capital, Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the education official has denied the existence of a policy to lock out homosexuals from boarding school, saying school heads only expel “those who hop from one bed to another”, reported Capital FM on Tuesday.
This is not the first time Magoha made these utterances towards Kenya’s LGBTQIA+ community.
In December he was quoted as saying that "children who are homosexual and lesbians must go to day schools close to their homes".
In January, Voice of America reported that a group of Kenyan LGBTQIA+ students protested in January against a recent suggestion by Magoha’s they be banned from boarding schools.
The schools are common in Kenya and the students and rights groups say a ban would be discriminatory and compromise their safety.
The queer community issued demands to the ministry of education to curb violence and discrimination towards queer kids.
"Magoha should attend LGBTQ affirming training that would be conducted by LGBTQ organisations and groups," said rights groups, as reported by Kenyan online daily news publication The Star.
The training, they said, will broaden his knowledge of the LGBTQ community and their experiences and lives, said The Star.
IOL