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Renowned Kenyan gay activist and author Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina has died in Nairobi.
Binyavanga reportedly passed away at a Nairobi hospital on Tuesday night after suffering a stroke. He was 48.
Speaking to the Daily Nation, Kwani Trust Chairman Tom Maliti says the 2002 Caine Prize winner for African Writing was pronounced dead a few minutes past 10 pm.
The LGBT rights activist was the founder of the Nairobi-based journal Kwani?.
Binyavanga hit media headlines in January 2014 when he publicly announced that he was gay.
“Nobody, nobody, ever in my life has heard this. I am a homosexual, mum,” said Wainaina at the time.
He later tweeted: “I am, for anybody confused or in doubt, a homosexual. Gay, and quite happy.”
The writer was named by the Time 100 among the “Most Influential People in the World” in 2014.
Binyavanga, who revealed that he was HIV positive in 2016, was set to wed his Nigerian lover early this year.
"I asked my love for his hand in marriage two weeks ago. He said yes, nearly immediately. He is Nigerian. we will be living in South Africa, where he will be studying next year. We will get married there, early next year. We will have a reception for Kenyans in Nairobi sometime next year too. Nothing has surprised me more than coming to love this person, who is gentle and has the most gorgeous heart. I consider myself hugely lucky that he loves me and I have only recently fallen in love with him, but we have known each other and have been dating on and off since 2012," he announced in a tweet last year.
He first suffered a stroke at his Nairobi home on October 31st, 2015, and was taken to India for treatment.
Comments
Aww rest in peace I always enjoyed reading his writing, esp "How to write about African"
https://www.bu.edu/africa/files/2013/10/How-to-Write-about-Africa.pdf
May his soul RIP no more no less
No more no less may he rip
Beautiful, gifted and brave soul! RIP.
Kwaheri Wainaina!
Spread aids quickly
Exactly. One gone HIV creator (Anal sex), others to follow.
Rest well brother. You fought for a lot in Kenya and the journey you started will continue
Hehehehe he can continue his demonic satanic stinking ushoga in hell.Satan is waiting for his bambam.Ameachia wangapi ukimwi???
Jinga wewe
Gay😭you are.
Calling you a fool would be an upgrade.
Calling a gay😭a Fool would be an Upgrade. Right?
You gay right? Shame!!!!
@Mkenya halisi, what's your view?
Kwaheri Ndugu. Mahali umeanda hakuna atakaye kusumbua.
I figure deportee Halisi will eventually be found in flagrante delicto sooner rather than later whereupon we will understand his hate filled tirades
Hehehehe don't forget even the christian God which i guys mostly follow says n i quote mashoga,mashetani,rapist,sodomist will never inherit the kingdom of heaven so question yr God what he ment by stating so.He goes straight to hell n again the devil will b happy burning him daily.The dude had aids so let anybody who jigijigid with him is to follow soon.Mashoga r worse in the society than corruption.Njinga wao n am titled to my opinion.
Matthew 7:1-3. I guess you'll be joining him if that is your judgment
It is said that HIV patients are having living longer but are having heart issues later on in life😭😭😭
Bure kabisa!
@Mary, was pondering on the same. Appears the meds long term effect on the organs are yet to be exposed. I think you have hit a nail on the head, lakini statistically hard to prove as people do die of strokes whatever their status.
Ndugu Binyavanga Wainana:
Pole kwa mateso uliyopata duniani kutokana na msimamo wako wa ngono (sexual orientation). Hata ingawa mimi sikuungi mkono kwa msimamo wako wa ngono, ni lazima pia nitambue ya kwamba, ndugu na dada zetu kutoka Yuropa na Uarabuni walitupiga msasa kiwango ambacho mila za mababu na nyanya zetu tayari zimeshapotea milele na milele.
Kusema kweli, mtu ambaye amechukua sehemu moja ya mila za Wanayuropa au Waarabu hawezi kamwe kukukosoa (criticize).
Iwapo umechukua sehemu mojawapo ya mila zifuatazo, nakuomba umwombe Ndugu Binyavanga msamaha kwa kumkosoa kutokana na msimamo wake wa ngono. Kama una:
1. Jina la kigeni
2. Imani ya kigeni kutokana na imani ya Mwana Mariamu (yesu) au Mwana Aisha (mohammed).
3. Sema lugha isiyo ya Kiafrika au tuseme lugha ya kigeni nyumbani mwako na familia yako.
4. Salimiana kwa kupiga au kupigwa busu ya midomoni.
5. Tembea barabarani na huku umeshikana mikono na mume, mke, au mpenzi wako.
6. Sherehekea siku ya kuzaliwa kwa kuimba au kuimbiwa, " Happy birthday to you" na kula keki (cake)
7. Fikiria na kujivunia ya kwamba umeelimika kwa kupata shahada bandia za kigeni
8. Fikiria ya kwamba taifa lako la asili (micronation) ni zuri kuliko taifa jingine nchini.
9. Tumia madawa ya kulevya ya kigeni na pia pombe kali, mvinyo au pombe yoyote ya ya kigeni.
10. Kunywa kahawa, chokoleti, chai au kutumia sukari.
11. Vuta sigara au bangi
12. Badilisha rangi ya ngozi yako, au kuvaa nywele za bandia.
13. Amini ya kwamba, Mwafrika hawezi kujitengenezea kitu chochote bila msaada wa Wanayuropa, au Wachina.
14 Iba na kupora mali ya umma
15. Ua watu wanaokupinga kisiasa.
16. Baka akina mama kwa sababu ya kazi kubwa uliyo nayo.
17. Fanya mapenzi na mtu ambaye jinsia yako na yake inafanana.
Kama umechagua mojawapo ya vitu vichache nilivyoandika hapa vinavyotokana na kutawaliwa na Wanayuropa na Waarabu, huwezi kumkosoa mtu yeyote ambaye aliamua kuchukua mojawapo ya vitu nilivyoorodhesha (list) hapa ambayo ni tofauti na uliyochukua.
@Imara your comment above got me cracking up esp nuumbers 3,4,5,10 and 12. Just shows we got to stop being hypocrites. Here is a video among many which shows Binyàvanga as a true pan africanist.
This guy dated wazungu aki wakenya waushoga wingi wa akili
Ndugu yangu @Mugikuyu:
Nimesikiliza mahojiano ya Hayati (the late) Ndugu Binyavanga Wainaina na Al Jazeera. Amezungumza vizuri sana. Asante sana.
Wakati umefika sasa ambao yafaa tutilie mkazo (emphasize) elimu ya kujitegemea inayotokana na sayansi na teknolojia ya kisasa. Ndiyo sababu mimi naona ya kwamba, kumkosoa Binyavanga Wainaina hakusaidii nchi yetu ya Kenya kutokana na msimamo wake wa ngono. Yeye aliamua kuwa mfuasi wa # 17 kama wengi wetu wamechagua namba nyingine kwenye orodha ya "kupigwa msasa."
Ndugu Mugikuyu, ukienda nchi ya Saudi Arabia, utakuta ya kwamba wamefanya misimamo (stand) mikali juu ya mila zao. Kwa mfano, ukipatikana ukiuza au kutumia madawa ya kulevya (narcotics) #9, unapokea risasi mara moja, Ndiyo sababu ndugu zetu kutoka Nigeria hawapatikani huko. Ukipatikana umevunja sehemu ya pili ya namba 9 (kunywa pombe), unapokea viboko na kuingizwa kwenye ndege na kurudishwa kwako. Isitoshe, hawaruhusu ujenzi (construction) wa kanisa ya kumwabudu mwana Mariamu. Namba 4 na 5 hairuhusiwi pia hata kidogo.
Mahakama kuu ya nchi imekataa kuwakubali wafuasi wa #17 wa orodha ya "kupigwa msasa" leo. Yaani:
"...Section 162 reads: “Any person who - (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (b) has carnal knowledge of an animal; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.
Section 165 reads that any male person who, whether in public or private, commits any act of gross indecency with another male person, or procures another male person to commit any act of gross indecency with him, or attempts to procure the commission of any such act by any male person with himself or with another male person, whether in public or private, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for five years."
Basi, ningependa kuona wafuasi wa # 2, 12, 13, 14, 15, na #16 ya orodha ya "kupigwa msasa" wakipata adhabu (punishment) kama ya # 17. Kama sivyo, mahakama kuu ya Kenya ni masihara (joke) tu!
@Imara Kenyans courts are a joke. This guy Binyàvanga was never arrested for having carnal knowledge with his Nigerian boyfriend! Why so? Kenya has been a friendly place for gays and I hope it continues. On the other hand, Waititu, Ruto and quite a few murderers are having a restful time in their houses as we discuss this. Huh.
Ndugu yangu @Mugikuyu:
Msimamo wangu ni huu: huwezi kuchagua kutoka kwenye orodha ya vitu 17 nilivyoandika hapo mapema vya kutoka nje (foreign cultural constructs) na kumwadhibu (punish) mtu ambaye ameamua (decide) kufuata kitu kimoja!
Ni afadhali ukubali vyote au ukatae vyote.
Gone too soon. RIP.