×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Truth Without Fear
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download Now

Archaic beliefs fuelling killing, abandonment of intersex children

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

Baby feet. Intersex babies are often seen as a sign of looming danger and poverty in the homestead. [iStockphoto]

The birth of David (not his real name) was regarded as an evil omen. Aged barely three weeks old, his mother shoved him into a dusty sack of iron nails and dumped him at a construction site at Marereni village in Kilifi, leaving him to the elements.

The reasons for his mother's decision to shove him inside the sack are a subject of conjecture. Maybe she left him behind to suffocate or to be rescued by a well-wisher. David was born intersex in 2021.

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Fact-first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
By AFP 55 mins ago
Football
Veteran goalkeeper Neuer recalled to aid Germany World Cup bid
By AFP 4 hrs ago
Football
Emery urges Villa to use Europa triumph to fuel bold new era
By AFP 4 hrs ago
Football
DR Congo cancel World Cup training in Kinshasa amid Ebola outbreak
Football
For Arsenal, the time is right and the Lord has made it happen