Kenyan police force bearded woman to strip and 'prove' gender

Image: Allan Swart/123RF A Kenyan bus conductor was assaulted by traffic police who forced her to strip in order to 'prove' she is a woman.

A Kenyan woman, who has a beard due to a hormonal imbalance, was forced to strip naked in police custody to confirm her gender, BBC Swahili reports.

Theresia Mumbi, a bus conductor and activist, said that traffic police in Nairobi arrested her, put her in a women's cell and instructed her to take off her clothes.

Mumbi said the violation was because of Kenyan identification laws. After stripping and presenting her documentation, she was released.