Nairobi and Kiambu counties are among the top five counties with the highest numbers of intersex persons, according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census.
Intersex persons are people born with reproductive organs that do not fit the usual definitions of male or female.
An intersex person may appear male on the outside but possess female sexual organs.
Nairobi County leads the way with 245 intersex persons compared to 135 persons in Kiambu.
Most intersex persons in Nairobi live in Embakasi (62) followed by Kasarani (37), Dagoretti (31)and Njiru (31) in that order.
Other top five counties in descending order include Nakuru (95), Wajir (49) and Meru (41).
On the other end, Tana River (2), Lamu (4), Tharaka Nithi (7), Taita Taveta (7), Samburu (7)and Isiolo (9) have the lowest numbers of intersex persons.
Kenya set history in Africa as the first country to include the third sex mark in last year's census.
The move is expected to lay foundations for policy interventions to alleviate the challenges faced by this unique set of population including discrimination.
A 2017 task force established by the government established that intersex persons and their families experience mental health challenges related to their condition, including anger,embarrassment, shock and confusion.
Furthermore, those in detention are often traumatised by unnecessary and intrusive body searches by law enforcers.
This is despite the National Police Service Standing Orders decreeing that detained intersex persons have the right to choose the gender of the police officer to conduct such searches on them.
“Some of them have been mixed with male or female inmates, which exposes them to sexual harassment, ridicule and physical assault,” the taskforce noted.
Thus, the task force recommended awareness campaigns among Kenyans on the plight of intersex persons and establishment of social, legal and economic protections.
