Women's activist groups in Kenya have urged the women of the country to enforce a week-long sex ban on their partners, as tension in the troubled country begins to rise once more. They say they want to avoid a repeat of the violence which convulsed the country after the late 2007 elections, and have reportedly gained the support of the wives of Kenya's coalition partners - including the Prime Minister's wife Ida Odinga, confirming via BBC's World Service radio station that she is on the "no reforms, no sex" bandwagon.

So far, 11 women's groups have pledged their allegiance, with the chairwoman of the Women's Development Organisation (WDO) rallying: "This is a national boycott to show the women of this country have resolved to push for reforms. We want an urgent solution to the political problems facing this country."

Whilst I figure it's commendable that women are joining together to stand united, I find the whole thing a bit weird for a multitude of reasons. Sadly, all I could think about was that if you withhold sex from a man he will just go and find someone else to have sex with, a thought seemingly shared by the WDO as it is reported they are to pay prostitutes to join the strike. Another thought that entered my head is that women could be placing themselves in danger, which has already proved to be true, with reports emerging about men beating their wives for refusing intimacy. One men's lobby group has responded to the ban, saying it is a violation of their fundamental rights.

What is this saying about men; that all they are good for is f**king and fighting? That men have never really evolved from being Neanderthals and are little more than grunting brutes? That women are still using their bodies to get what they want and not their brains? Or that sex is something only something men enjoy, and women are merely there to meet their needs?
 
The sex ban raises a lot of questions, and I am dubious as to it's potential success as it does not appear to be a wholeheartedly embraced movement; the only identifiable reason I can see for doing it is the fear of losing your husband to someone else. Furthermore, speaking publicly about intimate matters has broken several taboos. Rahab Muiu, the vice chair of women's rights NGO Maendeleo ya Wanawake, criticised the announcement of the ban: "As the largest women's organisation in the country, we strongly believe in family values and cannot be associated with such foul utterances which can only break families."

On the Capital News website, another female (who pleaded to remain anonymous) said: "It will definitely promote immorality. When you are not getting it in the house, you are going to get it somewhere else, and there are always people waiting for that opportunity. It will not work."

Buddhism teaches that 'the cause of all conflicts is desire,' which if applied to this situation, hints that this act of solidarity could simply make things worse.

Words: Kara Simsek