Catholic Activists Urge Kenya Red Cross not to Give in to Pressure against Planned Conference on Family

“These groups are calling the event 'hateful' because it affirms the natural family,” she says, alluding to organizations that are opposed to the Pan-African conference on family values, religious freedom, and national sovereignty.

 “The real goal of these foreign-funded activist groups is to impose their ideologies on Africa—regardless of what our people believe or what our laws say,” Ms. Kioko says. 

She adds that the characterization of the event as “hateful” by LGBTQ activist groups is not only “dishonest” and “unjust” but also “dangerous.”

She defends Kenya Red Cross for the decision to host the conference, saying that it is not merely about an event but about “defending freedom of expression, respecting national sovereignty, and standing up for values shared by countless citizens across Africa.”

The Kenyan official of CitizenGo Africa calls upon the Red Cross to resist any form of “intimidation into cancelling this important gathering” and lead by example in sending a clear message that “African values are not for sale.”

In the April 8 petition, Ms. Kioko calls for solidarity with the Kenya Red Cross Society, saying, “Tell them to stand strong, host the conference as planned, and resist pressure from radical groups trying to erase Africa’s values.”

“This conference stands for what millions of Africans believe: that strong families, rooted in marriage between a man and a woman, are the cornerstone of a strong society,” she says.

The CitizenGo official emphasizes that the conference upholds the dignity of human life, including the unborn, and affirms values that are not only moral and cultural, but fully consistent with Kenya’s laws.

“In Kenya, both abortion and homosexuality are illegal,” Ms. Kioko says, and adds that the values promoted at the 2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values are not only moral convictions for many, but are also in line with Kenya’s Constitution and legal framework.

“The conference is a space for Africans to affirm what we know to be true: that strong families build strong nations, and that we have a right to speak, gather, and defend our values without fear or shame,” the CitizenGo Africa official says in the petition launched on April 8.