Kenya Bans All Movies With LGBTQ+ Content 

All movies having LGBTQ+ material, according to the acting chairman of Kenya’s Film Classification Board (KFCB), are banned in the country.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Christopher Wambua, the interim CEO of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), has declared that all films with LGBTQ+-related material are officially prohibited in Kenya. Wambua said that the nation is opposed to partnerships involving LGBTQ+ people.

“As we rate and classify content, we also consider other applicable laws. If there is any content that normalizes, glorifies same-sex relationships, our position in Kenya has always been to restrict and not to broadcast, exhibit or distribute that kind of content within the borders of the country,”

Wambua added that despite the existence of several websites that include same-sex material, the Kenyan government is actively working to restrict access to the material there. Wambua claims that the KFCB authority is presently coordinating with streaming juggernaut Netflix to guarantee that Kenyans cannot watch LGBTQ+ movies or television shows.

“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 the future once we sign the agreement, some of this content is not visible at all within the republic,” Wambua said.

Kenya is not the first country to declare its opposition to LGBTQ+ material. Egypt joined six other Arab nations earlier this year in criticizing Netflix and Disney+ and demanding that some categories of “offensive” content not be broadcast in their nations. It was assumed that this was in reference to media in those nations that highlighted members of the LGBT+ community.

Content containing LGBTQ+ characters and plots has long been forbidden in Kenya. According to Kenyan authorities, the 2018 movie “Rafiki,” which told the love tale of two women, encouraged lesbianism. The documentary “I am Samuel,” which features a gay Kenyan man, was likewise forbidden by the KFCB the previous year. LGBTQ+ people are expressly prohibited under Kenyan law, which is highlighted in detail in Section 165 of the Penal Code.