Nairobi accounts for 16 percent of the 1,524 Kenyans who declared their inter sex status during the August national census, results released yesterday show.
The term intersex describes a person born with sex characteristics — genitalia, gonads, hormones and chromosomes — that do not match the typical male or typical female body.
Intersex persons in Kenya have remained cagy about their status due to stigma, something that has made it difficult to establish their exact population. According to the census results – the first time Kenya has made an official attempt to quantify this population – 245 residents of Nairobi opened up about their intersex status, the highest level among the 47 counties.
Neighbouring counties such as Kiambu and Nakuru follow at a distance with 135 and 95 number of declared intersex persons respectively.
By comparison, conservative counties such as Tana River, Lamu and Samburu declared the lowest numbers of intersex persons of two, four and seven respectively.
Capturing their numbers in official data is expected to end the stigma and set stage for access to vital government services such as healthcare.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
