Kenyan sports news website Michezo Africa has published a special investigation into what it says is the ‘shocking revelation of lesbianism in Kenyan women [sports] teams.’

‘The topic of lesbianism is so controversial that no interviewed sources, gay or straight, agreed to speak on record about it,’ the report says.

‘According to a survey done by michezoafrika.com over the last two weeks, this is a common sexual orientation across all women teams in Kenya. The most affected are football, handball, volleyball, rugby and basketball teams.’

The website lists a number of reasons that women might become lesbians including ‘regression to the earlier stages of development,’ ‘men disappointments’ – being raped or abandoned as a single mother, peer pressure, and the ‘controversial argument that some … lesbianism cases are genetic.’

‘In the western world where the practice is more acceptable in society, some have claimed to have been born with the gene and cannot help themselves to stop being attracted to persons of the same sex,’ the website states.

‘This claim is said to elicit some sympathy from society for gay people to be accepted.’

The website detailed allegations that lesbians on the Kenyan national women’s soccer team were responsible for a 0-5 loss to Ethiopia in September by wearing themselves out by having pre-match sex.

‘Officials accused a section of the team players … of engaging in lesbianism,’ the website said.

‘Some of the accused players were said to have engaged in sex before the match.’

An anonymous source interviewed by the website claimed that older women on sports teams would ‘recruit’ younger ones into becoming lesbians but cautioned people to not stereotype players based on their appearance.

‘It is true, very true that lesbianism is there in Kenyan football,’ the source said.

‘[But] not all those with Mo-hawks, sagging trousers and men looks are lesbians. Women footballers are Tomboys and that does not mean you are a lesbian. Soccer is known to be a man’s game and we mostly grow up playing soccer with men. That is why we behave like men. Unfortunately it is difficult to differentiate so we have been given that blanket accusation that all of us who dress like that are lesbians.’

But another source on the team said the allegation had been spread by Kenyan sports officials looking to deflect blame for the loss.

‘I cannot say that our team does not have lesbians,’ the woman said.

‘But the accusations were exaggerated by team officials who wanted to get an excuse for the poor performance in Ethiopia.’

‘There was biased selection and poor preparation of the team so when we lost by a big margin, someone had to be blamed and they blamed lesbianism as one of the reasons behind our dismal performance.’

Kenya has had a mixed performance on LGBT rights recently, with Nairobi police last month pledging to arrest the members of a gang blackmailing LGBT people but days later the country’s education minister was threatening to remove a children’s book from the country’s school curriculum for having supposed gay themes.