On 21 November 2018, a Kenyan rugby player in Bristol was facing deportation from the UK after the Home Office rejected his asylum claim and appeal. Kenneth Macharia, who lives in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, was being held at Colnbrook immigration centre near Heathrow airport while his teammates mounted a public campaign to keep him in Britain.
The Bristol Bisons, a gay and inclusive rugby club, said Macharia had lived in the UK since 2009 and previously held a work visa. His teammates launched a petition and a social media drive after he contacted members of the club for help, saying they feared he would face violence, persecution or imprisonment if returned to Kenya.
Kenya criminalises homosexuality with penalties of up to 14 years in prison, and the club argued that the Home Office had failed to account for the risks LGBT people face. The petition, which later gathered more than 5,500 signatures, described Kenya as a place where homophobic violence and imprisonment are widespread.
In a statement posted by the club, the Bisons said: “Ken’s story is yet another example of the Home Office ignoring the risks that LGBT people face in multiple countries around the world. We are providing support for Ken at this challenging time, hoping he will not be removed from the UK to continue his life here. Deporting Ken from the UK will mean that he is unable to see his mother who lives in Bristol.”
The petition also said: “Deporting a good, hard-working, gay man to a country where homophobic violence and imprisonment is rife is immoral and unjust, and should be stopped.”
Speaking to BBC Radio from the detention centre, Macharia said Kenya’s laws were not the only danger. He said there was also “a lot of mob justice” because police were generally inefficient and members of the public often took the law into their own hands.
The Guardian reported that the Home Office declined to comment on the individual case. A spokesperson said the government had a “proud record” of protecting asylum seekers fleeing persecution because of sexual orientation or gender identity, and said the UK remained a leader in handling such claims. The spokesperson added that the asylum process considered all available evidence alongside published country information.
Macharia joined the Bisons in 2015, and besides playing for the side he also worked as a match photographer and first-aider.
With heavy hearts we are sharing the news that one of our members has been detained pending deportation from the UK. Kenneth Macharia has had his request for asylum rejected and now risks being deported to Kenya, fearful of persecution and violence in Kenya because he is gay. pic.twitter.com/qySfq3XUAy — Bristol Bisons RFC (@bisonsrfc) November 18, 2018
