Advocacy groups in the US have called on America's President Joe Biden's administration to halt engagement talks with Kenya, until President William Ruto dismisses an anti-gay bill submitted by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma.

The "Family Protection Bill" submitted to Parliament by Kaluma seeks to criminalize homosexuality, same-sex marriages, and LGBTQ practices.

The advocacy groups want the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) talks to be halted until the Head of State vetoes the Bill

"In partnership with LGBTQI+ groups in Kenya, we reiterate our request that you pause STIP negotiations until President Ruto commits to vetoing this bill," the lobby groups told the Biden administration in a letter addressed to US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai. 

"Pausing the trade talks aligns with the Biden Administration’s position of defending LGBTQI+ rights globally. This move would advance a worker-centered, inclusive trade policy. Moreover, stopping trade talks would send a message to countries around the world that the United States."

The lobby wants Tai to request Ruto and Trade CS Moses Kuria to commit to rejecting any bill or policy that would enact new anti-LGBTQ+ criminal penalties on Kenyans. 

They have launched a drive to collect 10,000 signatures to suspend the trade talks.

If Kaluma's bill is passed, rights to assembly, demonstration, association, expression, belief, privacy, and employment in childcare institutions in respect of homosexual convicts will be limited.

The Family Protection Act that came to light in April 2023 seeks to criminalize same-sexual acts between consenting adults with a minimum of 10 years in prison while imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”. 

Further, the bill will prohibit adoption by homosexuals and proscribes sex acts on animals. Kaluma has also maintained that homosexuals should be punished because homosexuality is illegal in Kenya.

Likewise, Kaluma's bill wants sexual health and sexual health rights and education banned.

The bill if passed will uphold the prior rights of parents and guardians to their children’s education.

It will reassert the rights of parents to be informed and to consent to sexuality education, and abortion procedures involving their children.

"It seeks to ban comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in Pre-primary, primary and secondary schools education programs," he said as quoted by the Star.