A Kenyan gay rugby player risks being expelled from the UK

A gay rugby player from Kenya, who risks being deported from the UK, was released on bail Wednesday, the Press Association reported.

Kenneth Macharia, a member of the Bristol Bisons team, is currently being held in a migrant detention center located near Heathrow Airport in London.

Read: A gay Kenyan rugby player fears being kicked out of the UK

To date, more than 96,000 people have signed a petition to prevent his deportation and to grant him asylum in the United Kingdom.

The 38-year-old rugby player, who has been living in the UK since 2009, appeared in a video-bonded immigration court, dressed in a black and pink RFC t-shirt of the Bristol Bisons, a announced PA.

The agency quotes Judge Edward Woodcraft: "The fact that I released you on bail does not mean you will still be allowed to stay in the UK". Kenneth Macharia baderted that he would be persecuted for his homobaduality when he was deported to Kenya.

Homobadual acts are illegal in Kenya and punishable by 14 years in prison.

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