Govt might lose Ksh4.2 trillion if anti-LGBTQ bill passes
Govt might lose Ksh4.2 trillion if anti-LGBTQ bill passes
Govt might lose Ksh4.2 trillion if anti-LGBTQ bill passes
If the anti-LGBTQ bill is passed, Kenya runs the risk of losing Ksh4.2 trillion in financial development help from the United States and European countries.Lawyer and economist Fred Ogola advised against enacting the Family Protection Bill that Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma had submitted to the Parliament in a report on economic assessment supplied.
The goal of Kaluma’s law is to make same-sex relationships and homosexuality illegal. If it becomes legislation, it will make sponsoring, recruiting, and promoting homosexuality and LGBTQ activities illegal.Ogola issued a warning in a statement, saying, “I submit that President Ruto should sign these bills into law only if he has a concrete plan of where he is going to get the Ksh4.186 trillion.”
According to an economic evaluation study lead by a barrister and done by Trailblazers Business Strategies, the prosecution of LGBTQ people will have a significant negative impact on Kenya’s bilateral relations with European nations. Kenya is heavily reliant on foreign aid, particularly from the EU and the USA.The LQBTQ, which is presented as equal protection and non-discrimination of each individual irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc., is unfortunately one of these donors’ pre-conditions for their continued support.
“Violating any of these conditions may lead to withholding of financial support. Therefore, if the bill is signed into law, Kenya must be ready to lose around Ksh4.186 trillion,” Ogola warned. The lawyer further argued that the government should be ready to part with Ksh11 billion if the bill succeeds, as the government will use the funds to train law enforcement officers.It will also incur the cost of ensuring that the criminal justice system can accommodate the social and economic rights of those found violating the new laws on LGBTQ.
Ogola published a thorough summary of the financial benefits the nation would lose if the measure were to become law. This includes Ksh238 million for disaster preparedness provided by the EU in 2023, Ksh148 billion approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Kenya in July 2023, Ksh81 billion approved by the IMF to support Kenya’s efforts to build resilience to climate change.
The remaining sum was assigned as follows: The US provides direct economic and development advantages to Kenya at K446.7 billion annually. According to the amount Kenya would get in 2022, the US provides Ksh446.7 million in annual humanitarian aid to Kenya. The European Union also provides Ksh713.2 billion to Kenya as part of the Joint Cooperation Strategy 2018–2022. Given that the Supreme Court of Kenya ordered the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Board to approve the registration of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) in February of this year, it is not yet apparent whether Kaluma’s bill will be implemented. In addition, the Supreme Court ruled that although while homosexuality is prohibited in Kenya, LGBTQ people are nonetheless entitled to association.
