Legalise same-sex relationships if you want economic prosperity, CNN’s Richard Quest tells Kenya

The presenter of Quest Means Business on CNN, Richard Quest, has advocated for the decriminalization of gay relationship in Kenya and other African countries.

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The popular broadcaster, who is gay himself, spoke in Nairobi during an interview on Tuesday mornng on Capital FM.

On the programme, Capital In the Morning, Quest said: “I am obviously going to be advancing an agenda that says there should be at least the decriminalization of same sexual activity. It is straight forward, I am not gonna mess around with that one. That is obviously my belief.

He said African countries should learn from London and New York that have benefitted economically and socially from the talents and contributions of both straight and gay people.

“There is a reason why those cities attract the talent and wherever because we can live our lives as we wish,” he said. “We can love who we wish.

“They are both cities that people in this country can admire, would aspire to be in and would look forward to visiting. There is a reason why I live in those cities.”

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He however stated that he respects the views of those opposed to his position on same-sex unions.

His words: “I do not for a moment, doubt the sincerity of those people who are against me on this issue. And I can respect their point of view, I merely say that in this day and age, if you want to suceed, if you want Kenya to be a thriving, vibrant modern economy, you are going to look at this in a different way and ask yourself what is it about these very successful places that we need to at least try to attract.

“That is the way you do it. You let people live their lives, love who they want, and the way they wish.”

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed not to legalize same-sex marriages to attract foreign funding.

“We must ensure that our development is what we want and not that brought from outside. We should not be told that if we want money, we must legislate that a man can marry another,” Capital quoted the President as saying on Sunday in Nandi County. “Is there anything of the sort in the Bible? Wouldn’t we rather stay poor?”