Nairobi Gay Couple Evicted as Kenyan Homophobia Ramps Up

A young male couple were booted from their home of two years in Nairobi because their landlord discovered they were gay, reports the International Business Times, in an incident that coincides with rising anxiety over President Obama's visit to Kenya later this month, with officials and residents warning the president not to speak out on LGBT rights.

Already, over 100 antigay protesters marched down Nairobi streets blasting Obama over his pro-LGBT positions and giving notice to him to not defend gay rights. "It is important for us as Kenyans to know that the U.S. is not God, and thus we cannot follow them blindly," Bishop Mark Kariuki, a protest organizer and evangelical Christian clergy member, told Agence France-Presse during the Monday protest.

A Kenyan gay rights activist, Denis Nzioka, said Kenyan homophobia ramps up whenever gay issues are in the news, such as the U.S. Supreme Court decision for national marriage equality.

"There have been more beatings, evictions, and attacks when public discourse focuses on the community," Nzioka told IBT. "It gets heightened and it will only increase momentum as Obama's visit gets closer."

The Nairobi couple's landlord reportedly told them to "go wait for your Obama," IBT notes.

White House officials have said Obama will not censor himself while traveling overseas. "When the president travels around the world, he does not hesitate to raise concerns about human rights," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday. "I am confident that the president will not hesitate to make clear the protection of basic fundamental human rights in Kenya is also a priority and consistent that we hold dear here in the United States of America."

Nzioka said he believes Obama will challenge Kenyans on LGBT rights but will not specifically bring up marriage equality.