More than 50 young men suspected of being gay have been held at Thika police station after being arrested on the streets of the town.
The young men, whom most of them are from the local colleges and universities, were arrested on Tuesday night in the streets of Thika and are said to be spreading immorality in the region.
Deputy police boss Mary Kiarie said that prostitution and homo sexuality is a crime as stated in the Kenyan constitution and is punishable by a jail term.
She said that there have been many cases of prostitution following the emergence of many social groups lobbying for people engaging in same sex relationships and thus making it difficult to implement the law.
“We have many social groups lobbying for the same sex relationships but it’s a crime in the Kenyan constitution and we are going to arrest everyone who is practicing prostitution or homosexuality and we will deliver them in courts,” she said.
Thika sex workers spokes man Barrack Richards who spoke to the media said that it’s not right for the police to arrest people in the streets and accuse them to be homosexuals but they should let everyone decide what to do with his life and arrest everyone with prove.
“The police don’t have the right to accuse residents to be homosexuals. Some of those whom the police have arrested don’t even know what they have been arrested for. The police should arrest people with pure evidence of what the suspect is alleged of,” Richards protested.
He has sort a court order to release those arrested from police custody which was denied.