New Proposed Anti-gay Bill Could Cost Kenya Billions

Open for Business, a UK based charity has said that Kenya could lose anywhere from $2.7 billion and $7.8 billion annually, if a new anti-gay bill is passed.  

According to a report by the charity Kenya already has a law outlawing gay sex however it has rarely ever been enforced.  

The new Family Protection Bill proposes much harsher penalties for people who are in gay relationships, these penalties include up to 50 years in prison.  

Open for Business has said that this new law could cost Kenya up to $7.8 billion due to a loss in Foreign Direct Investment, tourism and an increase health costs from conditions like depression.  

LGBTQ+ discrimination was already costing Kenya between $360 million and $1.5 billion per year, according to Open for Business. 

The report also calculated the loses for other countries in East Africa, Uganda is estimated to be losing between $586 million and $2.4 billion per year due to its discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.  

Rwanda one of the least discriminatory countries in the report was also said to be losing $45 million annually and Tanzania losing up to $1.1 billion. 

In the report Chairman of Open for Business writes "Anti-LGBTQ+ laws harm a country's investment prospects, damage their global reputation and prevent business from attracting the very best in global talent."