Background

The Initiative for Equality and Non-Discrimination (INEND) is a non-profit organisation based out of Mombasa, Kenya. Together, we take strategic actions that push for the equality, acceptance and inclusion of sexual and gender minorities in society. Our work takes place against the backdrop of pervasive homophobia in Kenya and within a legal framework legitimising discrimination against sexual and gender minorities (SGM).

Presently, Kenya’s Penal Code outlaws sex between men under the guise of “unnatural offences” and “indecent acts.” In the Coast Region, where INEND’s work is primarily based, discrimination and violence continue to be fuelled by religious fervour, and cultural beliefs. These are farther exacerbated by legal and social barriers and political machinations. The result, for sexual and gender minorities in Kenya, has been their continued economic, political, and social exclusion, coupled with high incidences of crimes of violence perpetrated against them.