Kenya’s education minister says gay students infringing on the rights of other learners should not be allowed to attend boarding schools.

George Magoha said those “moving from one bed to another” should be admitted to day schools.

He said that while he had nothing against gay students, having them in day schools would allow closer supervision by their parents.

It comes after a male secondary school student was reportedly assaulted at a boarding school in the capital, Nairobi.

The education minister’s statement has elicited mixed reactions online: some say his comments are discriminatory, while others are supportive.

On Monday, the minister said an earlier statement had been misunderstood to mean that gay students should be expelled from boarding schools.

In December he was quoted as saying that “children who are homosexual and lesbians must go to day schools close to their homes”.

The statement sparked protests organised by the queer community in Nairobi.