Paper short abstract:

Based on a political economy analysis of LGBTQ’s social exclusion and inclusion in Kenya conducted in 2021, the paper explores international and national key actors’ interests, motivations, and practices as well as the politics and decision-making.

Paper long abstract:

Based on a political economy analysis of LGBTQ’s social exclusion and inclusion in Kenya conducted in 2021, the paper explores international and national key actors’ interests, motivations, and practices as well as the politics and decision-making. We focus on the intersections between transnational /international, and local LGBTQ organizing efforts. We examine how these transnational players' interests shape and have an impact on the goals and operations of local organization, as well as the outcomes of advocacy efforts to change national policy and laws. Specifically, the research focused on the positive and negative impact of international actors on local LGBTQ organizing. The main research interest is to understand the socioeconomic and legal contexts of the LGBTQ people, the role of the development partners in shaping and enforcing social inclusion, and the implications for local organizing. The paper underlies the need to explore the lived experiences of LGBT people, and the ‘inner politics of social inclusion and exclusion. We engage with the interests, values, incentives, decision-making, and practices of the government of Kenya, and development/transnational and local organizations on efforts towards social inclusion of LGBTQ people in Kenya exploring the divergence and convergence. We conclude that building strong structures and systems while also establishing mechanisms for streamlining the coordination of CSOs efforts is critical in strengthening local organizing and that the development partners should pay attention to the politics of interests.