Willis Austin Chimano, a member of Kenya’s popular Afropop band Sauti Sol, never planned to come out as gay. From the group’s formation around 2005—they’re widely seen as Africa’s biggest boyband—until 2018, Chimano says he “wore a mask” at work, carefully controlling how he acted, spoke, and dressed. In private, though, he fully embraced his queer identity.
“I did everything I could to keep my sexuality hidden,” he says. His bandmates knew and supported him, but Chimano worried the public wouldn’t accept him. “I was scared it might ruin our chances of making it big,” he explains. “I wanted to maintain a clean image. My queerness would have been a scandal.”
Then, in 2018, a photo of him with his partner was posted on social media and picked up by Kenyan mainstream outlets. He became the first pop star in Kenya to be publicly outed as gay, and social media exploded.
“There was so much hate—oh my God, so much,” Chimano recalls. “People called me a sinner, said it was against nature, against African culture. There’s a widespread belief that what queer people do is wrong. People just don’t understand.”
Kenya is one of 31 African countries where being queer is still criminalized. Gay sex can lead to up to 14 years in prison. A challenge to this colonial-era law, introduced by the British, was rejected by the high court in 2019. In this deeply religious country, many LGBTQ+ people are disowned by their families.
Currently, Kenyan MP Peter Kaluma is pushing parliament to pass the 2023 Family Protection Bill, which aims to ban same-sex relationships, LGBTQ+ activities, public cross-dressing, and related advocacy. Neighboring Uganda passed the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ law in 2023, which includes the death penalty for homosexual acts.
Chimano first publicly identified as part of the queer community in a 2021 media interview. Despite his fears, Sauti Sol continued to thrive. The band signed a deal with Universal, their album did well, and their latest single became their biggest hit yet.
But when Chimano began performing as a solo artist, he sometimes faced a harsher reality. He had started writing his own music to process the turmoil of recent years. “I needed to work through my hang-ups and trauma, to fix myself in a way,” he says. He released an EP, Heavy is the Crown, in 2022, around the time Sauti Sol was considering a break so members could explore solo projects.
Just before the EP’s release in February that year, Chimano was set to perform at a festival he organized called Love and Harmony, but it was shut down. “The police said, ‘You’re not doing a gay event in my jurisdiction. We won’t allow it,'” he recalls.
His team found another venue at a shopping center in a different part of Nairobi. But on his way to rehearsal, Chimano noticed more police trucks than usual. During practice, he was pulled aside and told the show was canceled.
Officers armed with AK-47s had been sent to the venue. Chimano believes it was meant to intimidate him. “The message was clear: we could go ahead with the show, but we should be ready for the consequences,” he says. “They walked around with their guns, looking threatening. I was in shock, naturally. Something felt very wrong.”Something switched in me, and I walked outside, sat down, and stared at a wall. Then I broke down.
He later posted on X: “Bullies never win! You may have gotten your way this time, but you’ve only made my resolve stronger. The show I’ve been working so hard on will be seen—that’s a fact!”
According to an accompanying statement, the show was canceled by the police for “security reasons.”
Months later, he performed his next solo show when he was hired for a corporate event. They asked detailed questions about his set, even down to what the dancers would wear. “I took it as them asking, ‘Hopefully, it’s not too gay?’ They were checking to make sure there was nothing camp about it,” he says. After a lot of back and forth, the show went well.
Since Sauti Sol announced their hiatus in 2023, Chimano has been developing a one-man show featuring songs from his EP. He has performed it in Australia, France, and the UK—including in London and Cardiff as part of the UK-Kenya Season of Culture, organized by London’s Africa Centre and the British Council. The show continues to evolve with each performance, allowing room for experimentation and emotional discovery. He hopes to bring a version of it to Kenya in the future.
Chimano is also writing a memoir, which he hopes to publish next year, and is working on a debut album set for release in 2026.
In the meantime, he has become a source of inspiration for queer individuals and their families across Africa. Through his music, writing, and art, he advocates for the queer community.
He sees himself as part of a growing movement of people who are expressing themselves more openly and visibly. Chimano remains hopeful for the future and believes that the law criminalizing queer people in Kenya will eventually be repealed.
“There are many straight people who have friends in the queer community,” he says. “I hope when the time comes, they speak up and show up for us as allies.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about There was so much hatred Willis Chimano on being outed while in Africas biggest boy band designed to be clear concise and natural
General Beginner Questions
Q Who is Willis Chimano
A He is a singer and a founding member of Sauti Sol one of Africas most successful and popular boy bands
Q What does being outed mean
A It means someone publicly revealed his sexual orientation without his consent or before he was ready to share it himself
Q What band was he in when this happened
A He was in Sauti Sol a massively popular Kenyan Afropop band
Q Why was there so much hatred
A Because homosexuality is still highly stigmatized and illegal in many African countries including Kenya The public revelation led to widespread homophobic backlash insults and threats
Deeper Advanced Questions
Q What were the specific consequences Chimano faced after being outed
A He faced intense public scrutiny cyberbullying hate speech and threats to his safety and career It also put immense pressure on his personal life and his relationships within the band
Q How did his bandmates in Sauti Sol react
A His bandmates were publicly supportive They stood by him defended him and emphasized that his sexuality did not change their bond or the music they made together
Q What is the significance of a highprofile African celebrity speaking about this
A Its hugely significant It brings a muchneeded conversation about LGBTQ rights into the mainstream in a region where it is often silenced It provides visibility and can offer hope to others struggling in secret
Q Did this event impact Sauti Sols music or popularity
A While there was a backlash from some quarters the bands core fanbase remained largely supportive It demonstrated that an artists talent and humanity can transcend bigotry for many people
Q What is the legal status of homosexuality in Kenya
A In Kenya samesex relationships are criminalized under colonialera laws This legal context made the hatred he faced not just social but also had a potential legal threat attached to it
Questions about Impact Moving Forward
