According to authorities, a transgender fashion designer from Rwanda who worked with President Paul Kagame was detained on forgery charges after stating that her passport had been changed to reflect her new gender.

Moses Turahirwa, 35, was detained on Thursday after posting an Instagram snap of her passport and claimed that the gender field had been changed from male to female.

"My ID is now formally a woman. It's enjoyable. Moses Turahirwa, who goes as "she/they" on social media, wrote, "Thanks Kagame.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration stated that it did not issue the alleged passport, thus the RIB (Rwanda Bureau of Investigation) called Turahirwa Moses to explain the origins of the phony document.

He said, "Narcotics use has been added to the crimes Turahirwa is accused of following tests by Rwanda's forensic laboratory that found he had consumed cannabis illegally."

"The investigation will continue while he is being held before trial," he added.

Moses Turahirwa, a former model and the creator of the Kigali Moshions fashion house, had resigned as the organization's CEO in November following a backlash over the posting of nude photos on its social media platforms.

The designer, who has created clothing for Paul Kagame and his family, faced harsh criticism in Rwanda in January after a video of her having sex with two men was made public.

Contrary to several of its neighbors (Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi), homosexuality is not against the law in Rwanda.

Even though Rwanda is one of a small number of African nations that joined in signing a 2011 UN declaration denouncing violence against LGBTQ people, abuse and stigma still frequently occur.

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