by Esther Appiah-Fei

At 15, Chris Kach realised something was different.

“I was in a girls’ secondary school when the school realised that I was developing features of the opposite sex,” Kach recalls. “So, the school authorities called my parents and directed them to send me to the hospital for medical testing.”

That was how Kach came to be identified as an intersex person. Before this discovery, Chris was known as Christine Ngoizi.

Around 1.7% of the world’s population are believed to be intersex, which means that their sex characteristics – including reproductive organs, hormone levels or chromosomes – do not conform to binary categories of “male” or “female” or to the sex they were assigned at birth.

Kach was not allowed to stay at the girls’ school, and was turned away by others. In an instant, Kach went from being a promising young footballer to being a drop-out.

Football had been a passion since primary school, and Kach had always played exclusively with one team, the Kayole Starlets, a women’s football club in Kenya. And the Starlets stood by their player.

“My teammates have always been protective of me and defended me in the face of mockery regarding my physical features,” Kach says. Kach’s family was supportive, too, saying it was all part of God’s plan.

Seeking further understanding, Kach joined an intersex support group, which provided a long-overdue sense of belonging. Among people who truly understood the experience of being intersex, Kach found a way to self-acceptance.

In 2016, Kach earned a call-up to the Kenyan Women’s National Team for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. However, mandatory medical testing before the tournament posed a distressing challenge. Fearful of being outed as intersex, Kach ran away from the camp.

“My coach at the time said to me a while ago that if only I had spoken up, a revolution could have happened or there could have been a way to accommodate me,” Kach says. Kenya ultimately finished at the bottom of their group, without a single point.

A subsequent call-up to the U-20 Kenyan Women’s National Team led to a different approach. This time, Kach underwent the medical test and was dropped from the squad for being intersex.

Kristina Svensson says Mohamed Al-Fayed repeatedly assaulted her while she was working at the Ritz.
Photo courtesy of Kristina Svensson.

Helping footballers come out

Coming out as intersex in Kenya is daunting. Many struggle with identity crises and societal rejection. Before publicly embracing an intersex identity, Kach stepped away from football for a year due to mental health struggles. Encouragement from the Kenyan Footballer’s Welfare Association paved the way for a return to the sport.

Facing discrimination fueled Kach’s determination to fight for intersex athletes’ rights in Kenya and form Intersex Kenya Education Advocacy (IKEA), an initiative supporting intersex individuals in sports who conceal their identity out of fear and stigma.

Now, rather than hiding differences, Kach chooses to use visibility as a strength.

“Being different from my teammates is a superpower. It sparks curiosity, leading people to approach me and ask about my identity. I see those moments as opportunities to educate them about intersex people and show that it’s completely normal for us to play football too,” Kach explains. “I am happy to use myself as educational material for others to know intersex people exist.”

When athletes report discrimination to IKEA, the organisation gathers information through a Google form to understand individual challenges of each case.

“Once we get the needed information, we then head over to the sports team of the intersex athlete and educate them on why the inclusion of intersex athletes is important and urge them not to mock these athletes,” Kach says. IKEA has intervened in 14 Kenyan clubs so far.

The efforts have gained wider recognition. In 2023, Kach received the Player Activism Award at the 2023 FIFPRO Merit Awards.

The right to recognition

Kenya is seen as a world leader in intersex rights. The country recently amended its Children’s Act and the Birth and Death Act to officially recognise intersex as its own category, in addition to male and female. This change followed advocacy efforts that saw intersex individuals included in the census for the first time in 2019, when 1,524 intersex people were recorded in the country, a number that is believed to be an underestimate.

In 2023, Kenya made significant strides toward legal recognition of intersex individuals by introducing the Intersex Persons Bill, which is still under consideration in Parliament. While the bill has not yet been enacted into law, its proposal marks a critical step toward
protecting intersex rights, including access to healthcare and safeguards against involuntary medical interventions. Meanwhile, intersex persons have been formally recognized within the national Births and Deaths Registration framework, where “intersex” is now included as a category alongside “male” and “female.”

Yet, important areas still lack protection. The Penal Code doesn’t protect intersex people from discrimination or violence, the Employment Act doesn’t explicitly address workplace discrimination, and healthcare laws don’t provide a framework for specialised care.

In the world of football, where Kach thrives, eligibility policies based on sexual characteristics, particularly those of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football, present significant challenges for intersex athletes in Kenya and beyond. Hormonal testing regulations create major hurdles for intersex athletes like Kach, focusing on testosterone levels rather than actual athletic ability.

“I always say that as a player, if you lack dedication and skills in training, you can’t be one of the best. I believe it is unfair to think testosterone gives intersex persons a competitive edge,” Kach said. 

These regulations, while intended to ensure fairness in women’s football, fail to consider natural variations in biology. Although some intersex athletes may have higher testosterone levels, this does not automatically equate to a competitive advantage.

Despite this, intersex athletes risk being sidelined or pressured into medical treatments just to continue competing. Research indicates that athletic success is influenced by a range of factors, including training, genetics, skill, and mental resilience, rather than testosterone levels.

Kach encourages all intersex persons to accept themselves, and to keep playing football. 

“By accepting themselves, it will give them the courage to speak out and by speaking out and being open about their status, more people can lend a helping hand in making them feel safe and supported.”

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