FIRST KENYAN GAY PASTOR MARRIES ANOTHER MAN AND COMES OUT IN PUBLIC

A Kenyan gay couple say they have
become the first to publicly marry, but
it is a decision that has led to them
being forced to flee the country. Edwin
and Isaiah are living in what they
describe as a ‘cave’ following their
wedding in February. The two are now
hoping to make it to Tanzania or
Zanzibar in the hopes of asylum.
Edwin, a 37-year-old who works as a
pastor in the Lutheran church, and
Isaiah, a 25-year-old laborer, first met
through Facebook through a mutual
friend. After three years of chatting,
they decided to meet last year. ‘In
Kenya, meeting somebody is not easy.
But when I met him, it was like my
dream, it was the person I was looking
for,’ Edwin told Gay Star News. They
entered into a long distance
relationship, with Edwin preaching in
Tanzania and Isaiah at home in
Mombasa, Kenya. But when they
reunited, and Edwin found a church in
Kenya that accepted him and his
partner for who he is, they wanted to
celebrate their union. So around 80
people gathered in the compound of
his church in the village of Mtitu
Andei, and a fellow pastor came to
bless their union. The majority of
people first thought it was a bit of a
joke, but soon realized their mistake.
‘The Kenyan government may not have
a law for our marriage, but we were
married under God’s law,’ Edwin said.
‘In Kenya, most of the people only
marry for love. That’s what we did. I
now have somebody in my life.’ This
is believed to have been the first
same-sex wedding in Kenya, or at
very least the first to receive a
blessing from a religious leader.
Other Sheep, a Latin American-based
Christian group, found out about the
wedding and went to Kenya to
congratulate them and posted a blog to
commemorate it. Subsequently, a
couple days after it had been posted,
Isaiah had gone into the city center to
buy feed for their chickens. His
brother followed him. Someone had
told him about the wedding. He had
brought friends, and started beating
his own brother up. Edwin came to
Isaiah’s rescue before a mob could
pummel him to death.
He escaped with heavy bruises and
cuts on his body. Afraid, they are now
attempting to raise the funds to stay
with friends in Tanzania, Zanzibar or
elsewhere. Edwin has no regrets
about allowing someone to write about
him, in fact, he’s proud of it. He wants
people to know and understand what
is happening in his country. ‘I know I
have to go through this, and I know
that some are following me. I will not
regret who I am. If it means I have to
die, I will die,’ he said. ‘This is my
life, why should I hide? If God makes
his decision, I will accept it.’ He
added: ‘We cannot change the world
by staying quiet. We can only change
the world by talking, taking action, and
speaking out.’