Strengthening legal protections, improving access to healthcare and education, and providing psychosocial support are key to ensuring intersex children grow up with dignity and acceptance.
These issues featured during Intersex Awareness Day, convened by Jinsiangu in partnership with the Kenya Intersex Persons Consortium, as advocates called for greater inclusion and protection of intersex persons in Kenya.
For Peter Maingi, the call for acceptance is deeply personal. Sixteen years ago, he was looking forward to welcoming his third child, whom he expected to be a boy. However, the birth marked the beginning of a challenging journey that would transform his life and lead him into intersex rights advocacy.
“When the child was born, we were shocked to discover that the baby had what is medically known as ambiguous genitalia. At the time, we did not understand what it meant to be intersex,” Maingi recalls.
Determined to secure the best medical care, he took his child to a national referral hospital, where doctors conducted several tests. They initially suspected an undescended testicle and penoscrotal hypospadias, a condition affecting the opening through which urine passes.
Further investigations revealed an ovotestis, meaning the gonadal tissue contained both ovarian and testicular components. Chromosome testing subsequently showed a 46,XX pattern, challenging the family’s initial understanding of the child’s sex characteristics.
“The experience changed our lives completely. The emotional, physical and financial strain tested me in ways I had never imagined,” he says.
Beyond the medical challenges, the family faced stigma and painful experiences. Maingi recalls someone suggesting that his wife should kill their child so the family could live comfortably.
“I remember telling her that, over my dead body, would I allow anyone to harm our child. My child was bright and deserved love, protection and an opportunity to live,” he says.
Maingi says intersex children face discrimination at home, in schools and in their communities. Some families relocate when neighbours discover their children’s sex characteristics, while others struggle to find schools where their children can learn without stigma.
Adolescence can be particularly difficult when physical changes do not conform to societal expectations. His child has experienced breast development, creating additional challenges at school and raising concerns about the child’s emotional well-being.
He advocates protecting intersex children from unnecessary, irreversible medical interventions until they are old enough to participate meaningfully in decisions about their bodies, while ensuring urgent medical needs are addressed.
Access to healthcare also remains a challenge because specialised tests and treatment can be expensive. Some families cannot afford comprehensive investigations, while intersex people face difficulties accessing appropriate sexual and reproductive health services, suitable menstrual products and acceptance in relationships.
Despite these challenges, Maingi is encouraged by growing awareness and advocacy for intersex rights in Kenya. He supports efforts to strengthen legal protections, including advocacy around the Intersex Persons Bill, 2024.
Today, he is affectionately known by some as the “intersex father of Kenya”, a title he embraces as he supports intersex people and their families.
“I never chose this journey, but I believe God chose me for it. Intersex people need protection, love, acceptance and respect. I am ready to stand with them and protect their rights to the end,” he says.
Supporting Intersex Families Through Mental Health Challenges
Brenda Imali, a psychologist and medical social worker, helps intersex individuals and their families navigate medical care, understand treatment options and cope with the emotional challenges associated with intersex variations.
“I provide support to intersex individuals, their parents and siblings. I walk with them through their treatment journeys, accompanying them to hospital visits, consultations and admissions. I also help explain medical information they may not have understood during consultations,” she says.
To strengthen this support, Imali organises support groups for parents and intersex individuals, creating safe spaces where they can share experiences, encourage one another and seek referrals when necessary.
“Mental health is not a short journey. It is a long process, and sometimes you do not know when it will end. Encouragement is therefore important. I have seen the benefits when intersex individuals connect and support one another,” she says.
Beyond individual support, she sensitises healthcare workers on intersex variations, the rights of intersex people and the importance of respectful treatment. These sessions allow intersex individuals to share their experiences and explain how they would like to be treated.
When hospitals report the birth of an intersex child or individuals raise concerns about mistreatment, the team engages healthcare providers on appropriate care and rights protection.
One key advocacy effort addresses intersex genital mutilation (IGM), involving procedures on intersex children’s bodies that may be unnecessary or performed without their informed consent.
Imali says the team engages healthcare professionals on the human rights implications of such procedures, drawing attention to the Children’s Act, 2022, and the need to protect intersex children.
She advocates for multidisciplinary care involving surgeons, endocrinologists, gynaecologists, urologists, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to ensure decisions consider physical, psychological and social needs.
Intersex variations differ widely, even among siblings. Some individuals may have ovaries without a uterus, while others have different combinations of sex characteristics.
“We cannot discuss intersex people as though they are all the same. The intervention for one person may be different from that of another. Each individual must be considered according to their specific needs,” she says.
Imali adds that intersex variations are biological and are not caused by food or myths surrounding the condition.
Advocate Pushes for Stronger Legal Protection for Intersex Persons
Veronica Mwangi, an advocate and public policy expert, has called for the fast-tracking of the Intersex Persons Bill to address discrimination and improve access to essential services.
Mwangi said Kenya had made progress in recognising intersex persons, including through the Children’s Act, 2022, which provides for their legal recognition and protection.
“This year’s theme, Bodies Beyond Expectations, speaks to the reality that intersex persons should be accepted for who they are and included in government services, society and communities,” she said.
She noted that Civil Registration Services had amended and gazetted regulations to accommodate the intersex marker in birth registration. However, similar changes were needed in other government systems, including national identity cards and healthcare platforms.
Mwangi also highlighted efforts to incorporate awareness of intersex persons into the junior school curriculum. She said learners needed support, particularly during puberty, when physical changes might not align with their official documentation.
“Technology is very good, but it should not become a hindrance to inclusion or lead to the discrimination of intersex persons,” she said, calling on the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission to develop policies protecting intersex learners.
She urged the Ministry of Health to ensure the Social Health Authority system accommodated intersex persons and enabled them to access healthcare without discrimination.
Mwangi said the proposed bill would establish clear obligations for government institutions and help address barriers to education, healthcare, employment and other essential services.
“Many times, when you approach ministries and government departments, officials tell you they cannot assist because there is no policy or law to guide them. Having a specific law would place obligations on relevant institutions and help ensure that intersex persons are included in service provision,” she said.
She urged the government to fast-track the bill and called for reforms across public institutions to uphold the dignity and rights of intersex persons.
Story by Victoria Musimbi
