Initiative For Equality & Non Discrimination-INEND

Queering the Ballot II Podcast is here! We are delving into How Laws Shape Our Lives and Realities as LGBTIQ+ Kenyans We are reminded that politics is not optional. It is our responsibility. At 18 years, the Kenyan state trusts us with an ID card, a recognition of our ability to make decisions, follow laws, and take responsibility for our nation's future. Yet for LGBTIQ+ Kenyans, we are kicked out of our homes, discriminated against at work, and face violence in our streets by the laws that the same state legislates, and we need to put an end to this! Voting is one of the most powerful ways we exercise our autonomy and remind the state that our Human rights are not 'Western imports'; our struggles for housing, employment, safety, and dignity are fundamentally Kenyan issues. As Queer Kenyans, our vote matters. Our voice belongs in the democratic and governance conversations, and true democracy includes everyone! Featuring Mathendu Muchoki (Moderator) and Masafu_okwara @ShogaNamba1 and Adrian Kibe (Panellists) and shot at Queer African Network Watch the full Episode Here: youtu.be/h32nwbIFDxU?si… (Link on Bio) Queering The Ballot II is a project by Initiative For Equality And Non Discrimination, @NGLHRC @galckplus + #OurVoteOurFuture #QueeringTheBallot

Your Vote is Your Future. Be diligent with it! In our Episode 1 of the #QueeringTheBallot , we talk about How Laws Shape Our Lives, delving into the relationship between the lived experiences of the “common mwananchi” including LGBTIQ+ Kenyans, discrimination fatigue, distrust in government systems and voter apathy. What does it mean to be involved in a civic space that doesn’t always accommodate diversity?… Featuring Mathendu Muchoki (Moderator) and Masafu Okwara , Marylize Biubwa @ShogaNamba1 and Adrian Kibe (Panelists) and shot at @queerafricannet The full episode is out on YouTube! Link in our bio💐 Queering The Ballot II is a project by INEND, @NGLHRC , @galckplus Here is the Full Episode : youtu.be/h32nwbIFDxU?si… #OurVoteOurFuture #UkoKadi

Things we love to see as youths.

Queering The Ballot Campaign Change requires more than pointing fingers. It requires reflection, action, and showing up,especially at the ballot box as LGBTIQ+ Kenyans citizens and declaring that this is OUR country,OUR business IS this country and we are done watching from the sidelines! We navigate a system that was not built for us, a system that questions our right to exist even when the law is clear that No Kenyan should face discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Our Trans and Enby Siblings, @IEBCKenya made it clear that your gender marker cannot and should not prevent you from exercising your constitutional right, all you need is: ✅ Your name to match your ID ✅ Your fingerprints to match ✅ You are of voting age We need systems that allow queer people to show up exactly as they are. Not systems that force us to hide, to shrink, to disappear. 📌 Register to vote 📌 Verify your details 📌 Show up on election day 📌 Vote Wiely and do NOT forget to Hold leaders accountable Refuse to be invisible, Vote! Watch the Full Queering The Ballot Podcast Episode 1 Here: youtube.com/watch?v=h32nwb… Queering The Ballot II is a project by @galckplus @NGLHRC #OurVoteOurFuture #QueeringTheBallot

Queering the Ballot II Podcast is here!🏳️‍🌈🇰🇪 A project by galck+, @INENDorg & @NGLHRC Pilot episode: How Laws Shape Our Lives, because the law affects us all. Full episode this week! youtube.com/playlist?list=…

This International Women's Day, we are naming a truth that too many "progressive" spaces still refuse to say out loud: a democracy that excludes women in all their diversity is not a democracy, it is patriarchy with a ballot box. Democracy is backsliding globally, and women are paying the price. When we say "democracy," we mean a system that protects, centers, and empowers every single one of us, or it is not democracy at all. This Women's Day, we're not celebrating. We are organizing. We are registering to vote. We are refusing feminism that excludes trans and queer women. We are demanding policies that center the most marginalized. And we are building the world we deserve, ballot by ballot !#IWD2026 #QueeringTheBallot #OurVoteOurFuture

Queering The Ballot II Campaign Our existence is political, not by choice, but by design: a system that has spent decades trying to legislate us out of existence. The archaic colonial Penal Code sections 162 (a), (c), and 165 still criminalize who we are. Politicians scapegoat us for electoral gain. Mobs lynch us in the streets. Families disown and disinherit queer children. Justice is a distant dream in our courts and systems, clinics that serve us are shut down, and through all of this, we are told that we should stay out of politics. Here is the truth: the people we elect determine whether our community health clinics stay open or get shut down. Whether Transgender people can access IDs that reflect who they are. Whether our constitutional rights are upheld or ignored. Whether budget allocations include sexual and reproductive health services for key populations or erase us. #Repeal162 decrime case, where Queer Kenyans and their parents became petitioners in a constitutional case demanding the decriminalization of consensual same-sex intimacy. This case is still ongoing. And every person who votes can influence whether the next government supports or obstructs this fight. Yes, our lives are political like that. The long struggle for legal recognition in courtrooms of LGBTIQ+ people is a fight that requires not just courtroom victories, but political will. And political will is built by voters who demand it. Representation matters, even when you don't win, because sometimes it's not about the seat. It's about showing up. Being counted. Making history. Refusing to be wished away or erased from the political imagination of this country. Queer Kenyans are a critical mass with real political power; if we organize, register, and vote as a bloc, we cannot be ignored! The 2027 elections are coming. And we MUST be ready: If you are a queer Kenyan and you are not yet registered to vote, go to your nearest @IEBCKenya . Bring your national ID or passport. If you need support navigating the process (especially if you are transgender or non-binary and facing ID-related barriers), reach out to us. If you are already registered, share this video with your community. Your chosen family. Your group chats. Your networks. Ask them: Are you registered? What's stopping you? How can we remove those barriers? Advocate for inclusive electoral systems that don't humiliate or exclude gender-diverse voters. Show up as more than symbolic solidarity. If you are a queer Kenyan who has ever felt that politics is not for you, we understand. But we also need you to understand this: politics is already being done to you. The question is whether you will participate in shaping it, or whether you will let others decide your fate. Finally, this is not just about a campaign. It is about a collective insistence that democracy in Kenya belongs to everyone, including us. Here is The Full Video : youtu.be/NxRTaKRbtC0?si… @NGLHRC @galckplus #OurVoteOurFuture #QueeringTheBallot

Here, Interact with us, talk to us about your voter registration needs #OurVoteOurFuture #QueeringTheBallot

This Valentine's Day, as we and our allies prepare for the 2027 general elections, we, Initiative for Equality and Non Discrimination (INEND) together with the @nglhrc and @galckplus , we wish to acknowledge that the most intimate acts of love are inseparable from the most public acts of civic participation. #QueeringTheBallot #OurVoteOurFuture

LOVE IS POLITICAL There is a popular tendency to keep love and politics in separate rooms to treat the personal as private and the political as distant. However, for us LGBTIQ+ Kenyans, these rooms have never had a wall between them. The question of whether you can love freely, safely, and with legal dignity in this country is answered not in bedrooms but in parliament, in courtrooms, in county assembly chambers, and in the decisions made by elected officials who either see you or choose not to. #QueeringTheBallot #OurVoteOurFuture

Still thinking about what to do for #Valentines? This is your reminder 💌 Join us for the #QueeringTheBallot Valentine’s Civic Care Clinic❤️ A day to sit together, talk openly, ask questions, and think about how we show up for ourselves and our communities in the civic space. @IEBCKenya will be on site to support voter registration and related services, for those who wish to access them. 🗓️: 13th February ⏰: 10AM - 4PM 📍: RSVP link tr.ee/rGVCsGXybi Ps. Don’t forget to carry your National ID‼️ #QueeringTheBallot #OurVoteOurFuture

🚨 CASE UPDATE: The #Repeal162 appeal was heard today at the Court of Appeal. First substantive hearing since 2019. Adjournment granted; full hearing set for May 2026. Our fight against colonial laws that criminalise Kenyans continues! #LoveIsHuman #TheIssueIsViolence

This year, may courage, pride, and restful resistance guide us and, may we stand together in hope, united against all forms of oppression. #SolidarityInAction #Transfromingperceptions #TeamINEND #LGBTIQ

As we step into 2026, let us remember that visibility, awareness, and our shared humanity are powerful forces for change. May we continue to rise above challenges, celebrate diversity, and build bridges that transform perceptions, paving the way for dignity and equity for all. #SolidarityInAction #Transfromingperceptions #TeamINEND #LGBTIQ

QUEERING THE BALLOT II CAMPAIGN Together with @galckplus and the @NGLHRC , we launched Queering The Ballot II, a strategic campaign informed by an evidence-based, action-oriented situation analysis report, “Our Vote, Our Future: LGBTIQ+ inclusion in Democratic and Governance processes in Kenya,” grounded in the lived realities of LGBTIQ+ Kenyans. This campaign builds on our lived realities and 2022 general elections milestones and lessons to ensure LGBTIQ+ Kenyans are not only counted but meaningfully participate in democratic and governance processes. Grounded in the principles “Nothing for Us Without Us” and “Leave No One Behind,” the Campaign seeks to holistically exert political influence as a form of human rights protection, also recognising that Coalition-building with other intersectional movements and embedding SOGIE-sensitive approaches are core to shifting power, policy, and participation. We call for an urgent reform and coordinated action to: Build and strengthen Inclusive electoral institutions, expand SOGIE-sensitive voter education and training, protect civic space, safeguard Digital rights, invest in intersectional movement building, and provide coordinated legal and psychosocial support for LGBTIQ+ Kenyans. Join us in safeguarding human rights, strengthening solidarity, and ensuring LGBTIQ+ people show up, participate, and shape our country’s future with confidence and safety. Read the full situation analysis to learn more and join the effort: inend.org/wp-content/upl… #OurVoteOurFuture #QueeringTheBallot #DemocracyForAll

Hello Fam, Our office will be closed from 19th December 2025 to resume on 12TH January 2026. We wish you Queer joy & love this festive season. #TeamINEND