I will speak on gay rights, says Obama

US President Barack Obama has said that he will defend his advocacy of gay rights following protests in Kenya.

Speaking to the BBC, the US president said he would speak “bluntly” against corruption and human rights violations during his visit to Kenya.

“I am not a fan of discrimination and bullying of anybody on the basis of race, on the basis of religion, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender,” he said.

Obama faced criticism in Kenya following his support of gay rights with many Kenyan leaders warning him against broaching the subject when he is in the country.

The leaders, including Deputy President William Ruto, Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau among others have spoken of the country’s apparent stand against same sex marriage as they warned of resistance to push for the legalisation of homosexuality in the country.

Speaking in the AIC Church at Ziwani, Nairobi, Deputy President William Ruto had warned that any legislation aimed at legalising gay marriage in Kenya would be shot down.

“Homosexuality is against the plan of God and should not be tolerated. God did not create man and woman so that men would marry men and women marry women.”

On his part, Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau urged US President Barack Obama to respect Kenyans’ culture saying they would not compromise the longstanding traditions, which speak against same-sex marriages.

During his trip to Senegal in 2013, Obama called on African governments to give gay people equal rights by decriminalising the homosexual act, as quoted by BBC.

So far South Africa and Mozambique are the only African countries that have legalised homosexuality.

Obama will be in the country to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be held from July 24th to 26th in Nairobi, and is also expected to hold bilateral talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta on relations between the two countries.

Obama will become the first sitting US president to address the African Union when he travels to Ethiopia on Sunday.