The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) reiterated in a statement that screenings of all movies featuring LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) content are still outright prohibited in Kenya, maintaining the East African nation’s very rigid and intransigent stance on homosexuality.
By adhering to the country’s Constitution’s provisions, which practically forbid same-sex relationships, the KFCB confirmed Kenya’s anti-homosexual sentiments.
Furthermore, the KFCB committed to step up its severe repression of same-sex films in the mainstream media by placing such persistent dependence on “law and order”
Christopher Wambua, the acting CEO of the KFCB, issued a severe warning to the nation over the radio: technically speaking, content featuring same-sex partnerships should never ever ever be shown in any media within the boundaries of Kenya.
“The country’s laws do not allow LGBTQ+ content or even relationships. Even as we rate and classify content, we also consider other applicable laws.
“If there is any content that normalises or glorifies same-sex relationships, our position in Kenya has always been that kind of content is restricted and should not be broadcasted, exhibited or distributed within the borders of the country.”
Although there is unwavering emphasis on making it illegal to broadcast LGBTQ+ films in the mainstream media, Kenyan state officials are still having trouble dealing with the problem of how widely accessible such content is online (on social media and streaming platforms).
Wambua pointed out that although while explicit homosexual information is widely accessible online, the government is putting a lot of effort into limiting and preventing the airing of such material in Kenya.
He noted that Netflix is the most obvious offender in this somewhat moralistic situation and added that negotiations with the American streaming service are already underway in order to find a means to restrict Kenyans’ future access to homosexual content.
Wambua highlighted this aspect saying, “ Most of them are restricting; because of our discussions with Netflix, they are curating their classification system that is very aligned with our laws with the view of ensuring that in future once we sign the agreement, some of this content is not visible at all within the republic.
“Whether you are exhibiting on the theatre or VOD platform, there is no vacuum, the law is very clear.”
He further affirmed the government’s moral crusade by remarking on how parents should be vigilant over their children having access to visual content with same-sex relationships.
“Research has shown that film and media content influence the behaviour and the thinking of consumers, especially children who are most impressionable.
“Parents need to set screen times and monitor their child’s internet use because the internet is filled with unfiltered content for kids to be exposed to harmful interactions like bullying and harassment.
“As we try our best to assign the age ratings, it is the responsibility of the parents to educate and sensitize their children that they should not be able to look at it.”
Kenya’s official history has traditionally been antagonistic toward the portrayal of same-sex unions in films. The KFCB banned the movie Rafiki in 2018 for having “a lesbian storyline” and for “promoting lesbianism,” with the KFCB leadership explicitly stating that “homosexuality is not our way of life.”
However, in order to allow the explosive movie to be nominated for an Oscar, a High Court judge in Kenya overturned the ban on Rafiki (the Academy Awards). In the same year, Rafiki became the first Kenyan film to screen at the renowned Cannes Film Festival.
The Kenyan High Court upheld the prohibition on homosexuality in 2019 on the grounds that legalising such relationships “would indirectly open the doors to same-sex partnerships.”