A gay rights activist has criticized Kenya's prime minister for threatening a crackdown on homosexual people

David Kuria from the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya said that Raila Odinga's comments would encourage people to extort money from gay and lesbian people. Recently, Odinga warned that men or women found engaging in homosexual acts would be arrested. He later said he was only saying the constitution bans same-sex weddings. Odinga was heavily involved in campaigning for the new constitution which was passed in a referendum in August 2010. He said rival political leaders had said the new document allowed gay marriages. Homosexual acts are illegal and can be punished by up to 14 years in prison. An MP in neighboring Uganda in 2009 tried to introduce the death penalty for some homosexual acts. In February 2010, five people were arrested near the resort of Mombasa after reports that they were trying to organize a gay wedding.