Kenyan Activist Audrey Mbugua, Formerly Andrew Mbugua, Wins Transgender Case against KNEC

The Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of vocal Kenyan transgender activist Audrey Mbugua’s bid to change her academic certificates to read that she is female.

Audrey moved to court after the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) dismissed her application to have her KCPE and KCSE certificates, which indicated she was a male, changed to portray her new gender identity.

In a ruling on Monday, the Appellate Court upheld a decision made earlier by the high court, compelling KNEC to immediately change her certificates to indicate that she is female.

 “All in all, we are not persuaded that the appellant has established a basis for this court to interfere with the decision of the lower court,” Justices Philip Waki, Gatembu Kairu and Otieno Odek ruled.

Audrey, who renounced her previous name Andrew Mbugua in 2012, was born and raised as a boy. She was enrolled at Kiambu High School, a boy’s institution, where she scored a mean grade of A- in 2001 KCSE exam.

Ms. Audrey has been receiving medical treatment for gender identity disorder at Mathari Hospital in Nairobi.