S7 E3: From resolution to action: advancing intersex rights with Dr. Dennis Wamalwa

In conversation with Dr. Dennis Wamalwa

In this episode of the Africa Rights Talk Podcast, Dr. Dennis Wamalwa joins the conversation during a NANHRI training held in Pretoria from April 10 to 11, 2025. The training focused on strengthening the capacity of African National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the protection and promotion of the rights of intersex persons. Dr. Wamalwa, a leading human rights advocate and academic, shares key reflections on the role of NHRIs in addressing the systemic invisibility, stigma, and discrimination faced by intersex persons across the continent. He discusses the necessity of aligning institutional practices with human rights standards and the importance of integrating intersex issues into broader national human rights agendas.

Drawing on insights from the training, Dr. Wamalwa emphasizes the need for capacity building that goes beyond technical knowledge to include empathy, cultural sensitivity, and legal reform. He highlights how African Commission Resolution 552 serves as a critical framework for guiding NHRIs in their mandate to protect intersex persons, who are often marginalised due to deeply rooted social and medical norms. The conversation underscores the urgency of institutional accountability, inclusive policy development, and sustained advocacy to ensure intersex persons are not left behind in the human rights discourse. The episode serves as a compelling call for action, urging NHRIs and civil society actors to work collaboratively in transforming awareness into tangible protections for intersex individuals in Africa.

 

Dr. Dennis Wamalwa is a Kenyan human rights leader and the first openly intersex person to be appointed as a Commissioner of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in February 2022. He holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies and is a university lecturer.  Dr. Wamalwa has become a powerful advocate against discrimination toward intersex persons. He delivered candid testimony before Kenya’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, outlining his experiences of rights violations based on his identity. As Commissioner, he champions legal reforms such as Kenya’s inclusion of intersex status in the 2019 census and 2022 Children’s Act, and continues to push for stronger protection frameworks, public awareness, and policy implementation to ensure recognition, dignity, and equal rights for intersex individuals across Kenya and Africa.

 

This conversation was recorded on 11 April 2025.

 

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