Three Kenyan priests suspended by their diocese for "the sin of homosexuality" are suing for an apology and exemplary damages for libel.

The three priests are also seeking reinstatement to their parishes.

The suspended priests say the Bishop of Mount Kenya West, Joseph Kagunda, has libelled them. In September, Bishop Kagunda said four of his priests had been suspended and an archdeacon removed from ministry after having been found "guilty of the sin of homosexuality."

George Conger reports on Anglican Ink that the investigation began after a lay evangelist claimed in August he had been seduced by the archdeacon.

The investigation broadened to cover homosexual practices among the clergy, leading to the suspension of four parish priests. All of those accused denied their guilt. The archdeacon had challenged Bishop Kagunda for election as bishop in 2004. 

In their civil court defamation suit, the archdeacon and two priests say: "The Bishop, knowing very well how sensitive nature the 'gay preacher subject' is in the ACK church and the public and how the same would reflect on the image and character of the plaintiffs and the reactions it will elicit from the congregants," had defamed the three priests.

They also claim the tribunal that investigated them was biased and had acted outside the bounds of canon law, not even allowing the accused to present a defence.

Same-sex acts are criminalised under Kenyan law. The Kenya Human Rights Commission reported in 2011 that LGBTI persons are routinely harassed by the police, held in remand houses beyond the constitutional period without charges being preferred against them, and presented in court "on trumped-up charges". Clergy regularly preach against homosexuality and the anti-gay laws in the country are among the harshest in the world.