Faith was leaving Madd House on the said morning with a friend – (anonymous), when, as they were walking through the exit, a woman shouted out behind them “ma lesbians”…. Faith didn’t recognize the woman and they got into a verbal confrontation during which the woman hit her with her bag and went off to go back upstairs. Faith and (anonymous) followed the woman, later identified to them as Constance Sirikwa Rukia, and saw her being hidden in the changing rooms by the bouncers. Faith went to ask the bouncers why they were hiding the woman when they should be kicking her out for disturbing them. The bouncers held each of Faith’s hands and attempted to throw her out. Upon seeing that Faith was being held by the bouncers, the woman then hit Faith on the head with a bottle that she’d been holding and she fell down, bleeding heavily.
 
The bouncers then attempted to get the woman to escape in a taxi but were unable to get away due to the interventions of (anonymous), patrons of the establishment and some taxi drivers. Faith was driven to Central police station with Constance and the two bouncers, with (anonymous) following them behind. She remembers the woman saying in the taxi “you’re still a fucking lesbian and there’s nowhere you’ll take me”.
 
Upon arrival at the police station, the woman was taken inside and (anonymous) was told to rush Faith to hospital as she was still bleeding heavily. They left the two bouncers talking with police officers. Faith was admitted in Nairobi Hospital and had surgery yesterday morning to get stitches on her forehead.
 
As a matter of urgency, we demand that the Kenyan government, its agencies and all civil society and human rights defenders take cognizance of the social exclusion, intimidation, violation and abuse of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersexes and Queer (LGBTIQ) community’s human rights.
 
We demand that:
-The Kenya police investigate arrest and take due process to litigate the allegations brought forward from the April 18th incident, to ensure that justice is done and all the perpetrators held to account for their actions. 

-That the judicial system takes due procedure in providing legal and social redress mechanisms for all victims of violence with strict emphasis on all forms of gender based violence while taking into account sexual orientation and gender identity. 

-The government of Kenya ensures that all Kenyan citizens, with emphasis on sexual minorities, are protected from subjective attacks and hate crimes, by abiding to the national, regional and international standards of Human Rights as depicted in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Yogyakarta Principles. 

-The government of Kenya, as part of its responsibility, takes into serious account the increasing threats and attacks on the LGBTIQ community and pledge to promote and protect all human rights with strict measures to mitigate the increasing risk faced by sexual minorities (LGBTIQ 

-The government of Kenya takes the initiative to toughen the penalties on sexual violence and abuse and include protection of citizens from discrimination and violation of LGBTTIQ human rights.   

Further we petition civil society and all human rights defenders and their networks to add their voices in condemning these inhumane acts of subjection to humiliation and violence.
 
For further information, please contact:
Alix Mukonambi molisa.bwisa@gmail.com
Pouline Kimani   poul85@gmail.com

Dated: 20th April 2009

Signed: Pouline Kimani

Minority women in action (MWA)
The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)