{"id":228900,"date":"2025-08-20T06:12:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T03:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/?p=228900"},"modified":"2025-08-20T06:12:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T03:12:01","slug":"chimano-officially-comes-out-as-homosexual-in-explosive-interview-with-british-publication-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/chimano-officially-comes-out-as-homosexual-in-explosive-interview-with-british-publication-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Chimano officially comes out as homosexual in explosive interview with British publication, Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, Willis Austin Chimano, a member of the celebrated Kenyan Afropop group Sauti Sol<\/strong>, lived a double life. Since the band\u2019s formation in 2005, he says he \u201cwore a mask,\u201d carefully controlling how he spoke, dressed, and behaved in public.<\/p>\n

In private, however, Chimano embraced his queer identity. His bandmates knew and supported him, but he feared wider rejection. \u201cI had to do everything in my power to keep my sexuality hidden,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI thought it could ruin our chances of growing bigger. My queerness would have been a scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fear became reality in 2018 when a photo of him with his partner surfaced online and was picked up by mainstream media. Overnight, Chimano became Kenya\u2019s first pop star to be publicly outed as gay. The backlash was immediate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was so much vitriol,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople called me a sinner, said it was against nature, against African culture. Many still believe queer people are simply wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n