Two Kenyan men have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attacking and robbing two gay men, a rare case of accountability in a country where homosexuality remains a crime.
The defendants, known in court proceedings as “Abel Meri & Another,” were sentenced for robbery with violence on March 3 at Milimani Law Court in Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
The attack occurred in April 2023 and the victim was identified by a British newspaper guardian Using the pseudonyms Eric Anyango and Joe Ochieng, both in their mid-20s, they arranged to meet the men Ochieng had been communicating with on Facebook. Shortly after arriving at the man’s house, three other men appeared and began attacking him.
Over the next four hours, Anyango and Ochieng were slapped, kicked and punched. Their phones, wallets and clothes were taken and they were forced to call friends and family to transfer as much money as possible to the attacker’s online accounts. The attackers also exposed them to family members who did not know they were gay and threatened to kill them if they did not comply with their demands.
“I tried to resist, I wanted to fight back,” Anyang’o told the newspaper. “Then one of them pulled out a knife, pointed it at me and said, ‘If you don’t cooperate now, I’m going to stab you and throw you out the window.’
After calling several relatives and friends and transferring 100,000 Kenyan shillings (approximately $774) to the attackers’ accounts, the men were finally released. Upon returning home, Anyango told a friend about the incident. The friend introduced me to a paralegal (pseudonym: Lucas Wafula) at Ishtar, a community-based organization that advocates for men who have sex with men.
Wafula accompanied the victim and called the police, who eventually arrested the two attackers. Wafula said the police followed the case to the end and pursued the case. guardian That such behavior may be rare.
“When you go to a police station, you are often faced with harassment and discrimination,” he says. “They say you are not a normal citizen and throw out the case.”
Njeri Gatell, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, a Kenyan LGBTQ advocacy group, said holding two of the perpetrators to account is an encouraging development in a country where anti-LGBTQ attitudes and discrimination remain widespread.
Mr Gatell claimed that the two arrested were part of a large criminal organization that regularly terrorized gay men, including police officers. She added that several such cartels were operating across the country.
“In some cases, these two people were arrested in separate cases and later released,” she said. “this [sentence] They can now act as a deterrent to other gang members who finally realize that the law has caught up with them. ”
Kenya National Police Service spokesperson Michael Nyaga said police had not heard of any accusations of involvement in such gangs, but added: “If we have the right leads or tips, we have a duty to act on complaints raised.”
Gatel said. guardian In Kenya, homosexuals and homosexual men are often targeted for violent blackmail and extortion. The organization Ishtar reports that there were at least 226 cases of gay men being extorted in 2025, and 61 similar cases in the first two months of 2026. However, many such incidents go unreported.
“There’s always a fear of self-incrimination. If I say I met a man on Grindr and hoped to develop a romantic or intimate relationship with him, then obviously I’m evidence against myself,” Gatel said, referring to Kenya’s anti-sodomy law, which makes homosexual acts punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“So the blackmailers are relying on that. They are also relying on homophobia and homophobic attitudes that are prevalent within public institutions and society in general,” she added. “And this created a situation where they could operate with considerable impunity.”
Mr Anyango and Mr Ochieng said they were glad at least two of the attackers were brought to justice, but said the ordeal had left them with physical and mental scars and it was now difficult for them to trust others.
“In an unexpected day, I lost everything I had built for a better life in the future,” Ochieng said. Guardian.
Ms Anyango said it was important for other Kenyans to report similar crimes committed against them.
“If you are threatened, there is no need to be afraid,” he said. “There is justice. Go to the police station. No one has the right to abuse you or anything.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
