KNCHR drafting bill to protect rights of intersex people

By Robert Mutasi

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) is drafting a bill that will protect the rights of intersex people.

Speaking while in Kisii during a three-day tour on Wednesday, KNCHR Chief Executive Officer Bernard Mogesa said they will ensure they protect the rights of intersex persons within a legal framework.

Mogesa said they are working with relevant stakeholders in the drafting of the bill.

"The commission has been working with the stakeholders and we have a draft bill which we are subjecting to public participation here in Kisii," he said.

Public participation seeks to allow KNCHR to gather information and input from the members of the public and other stakeholders.

According to Mogesa, the process will help in polishing the bill.

He revealed that the bill contains a strong mechanism of framework to protect the rights of intersex persons in the county.

Further, the KNCHR boss said the issues of intersex people have been included in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) with the aim of creating awareness among young people.

"We also have some programs in specific universities where we are highlighting the rights of intersex people," Mogesa said. 

The commission is also reaching out to a number of partners it seeks to work together in enhancing public understanding of intersex persons.

Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies".

It is estimated that between 1.7 and 3.0 per cent of the global population is intersex. This means that there may be as many as 1,440,000 intersex persons in Kenya.