Willis Austin Chimano, one of the stars of top Kenyan band, Sauti Sol, has come out as gay, telling a local outlet that he no longer wants to live a lie.
Sauti Sol is one of the biggest male bands on the African continent and have won various awards.
In Uganda, the band has headlined a couple of shows further solidifying the brand’s presence on the East African market.
According to a report by the BBC, Chimano’s opening up about his sexuality is being hailed as a boost to the LGBT community.
In Kenya, being gay is punishable by up to 14 years behind bars, a challenge to this law was rejected in 2019.
Prosecutions under this law are not common and attitudes towards gay people are more liberal than in Uganda and Tanzania.
In the BBC report, there are a few reports of homophobic attacks in Kenya, many members of the LGBT community live in clandestine communities and are often shunned by their families in this deeply religious country.
Chimano joins a growing list of prominent young Kenyans who have come out as gay or lesbian.
Attitudes towards this community are softening, especially among young people.
Last week, Chimano released a solo single, Friday Feeling, that he told the local standard newspaper was “a true representation of who he is.”
“It is the first time I am representing myself in a song. You really get to know who Chimano is and that is a heavy crown to carry. It is just a representation of the underground ballroom culture within the queer community…which I am part of,” he is quoted as saying.
A Kenyan High court ruled in 2019 against campaigners seeking to overturn a law banning gay sex.
Campaigners wanted the colonial-era law scrapped, saying that it gave rise to a climate of homophobia.