Gay couple attacked in Tana River County

A gay couple were attacked and badly injured by a homophobic crowd at Mororo town in Tana River County.

The two sustained fractured bones in the face and one of them lost his left eye after he was punched directly in the eye by one of homophobic gang assailant.

Ahmed (not his real name) is a doctor and Noor (not his real name) is unemployed. The two are from Garissa County and have been lovers for the past two years.

 Ahmed wanted to rekindle their love and decided to go with Noor to Mororo which famously know for the cool breeze produced by River Tana. Mororo is located at the border near Garissa County.

“We were having fun as a couple in our hotel room until suddenly a group of rowdy youth stormed into our room and started beating us ruthlessly,” Ahmed said.

“I thought I was going to die. I thought for sure this was the end. We were stripped naked and hit by glass, stones, metals, whips just to mention a few.

These guys were animals. I could hear them say God hates gay people, we should die, our private parts should be chopped off, we should be thrown into the river and let the crocodiles deal with us, we deserve to rot in hell. I was crying and begging them to stop, but my cries fell on deaf ears,” Noor said.

The two were rescued by police officers who were guarding the hotel. The officers fired in the air to disperse the angry mob and arrested the couple and took to police custody in Garissa and later released them.

What is more heartbreaking is that none of the attackers was arrested and charged in court.

Describing his injuries, Noor said, “my left eye is full of blood and I should find out in the next few days if I am going to get my vision back of my left eye.”

“No one should ever experience being discriminated against no matter what their life choices are,” Ahmed said.

 We are all human beings and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just as it is clearly stated in our constitution.

It doesn't matter whether someone has an arm growing out of their head, if their skin is completely blue or if they have an extra eye, they are still human beings and therefore deserve the same human rights.

 So how is their sexuality any different? If you become gay tomorrow, does that mean that suddenly you change into a completely different human being as well? No. Someone's sexual preference doesn't affect who they are and therefore should not affect how they are treated.

“Despite all that we have been through, we are still happily gay and nothing can change that. Love is always a hard thing to find. Love is love to anyone who finds it. Whether it is two women or two men who are in love, or whether it is one man and one woman, they all feel it the same exact way. Homosexual love is natural and essential for homosexuals; just as heterosexual love is natural and essential for heterosexuals,” he added.

We are soon relocating to Nairobi where it’s a bit safe. Our wish is to live in a world where one can love freely and not be judged based on his or her sexual preference.” Ahmed concluded.