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African Regional News Updates |
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9 May 2009 NAIROBI: - A Kenyan man is seeking
damages for anguish sustained during a week-long sex
ban called by women's groups in a bid to force
political leaders to put their rivalry aside to work
for the common good.
James Kimondo is suing the leaders of G10, a coalition
of women's groups that called for a national boycott
to push the men into resolving the east African
country's political woes.
"Since the women called for the sex boycott, my wife
has denied me my conjugal rights. This has caused me
anxiety and sleepless nights," Kimondo said.
"I have been suffering mental anguish, stress,
backache and lack of concentration," he told reporters
outside the Nairobi High Court, where he lodged his
petition for damages.
The group even urged prostitutes to join the strike.
The strike ended on Wednesday, with the organisers
claiming it had been a success.
They argued that the country's "egocentric" male
leaders should not have time for matters of the flesh
when the country is ensnared in economic and political
trouble.
President Mwai Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga were
pressured into a power-sharing deal by international
mediators following violence which accompanied
December 2007 polls, but lingering tensions have
crippled the coalition government and fuelled
discontent.
The two, who have hardly met recently, held brief
talks on Monday and held a cabinet meeting on
Thursday, the first in a month.
Ten non-governmental organisations urged women
across the nation to boycott sex with their husbands
and partners along with a statement calling for
reforms in government and action on promoting women's
rights.
Rukia Subow, chairwoman of the Women's Development
Organisation, said the group believed the boycott
would persuade men to press the government to make
peace.
"This is a national boycott to show that the women
of this country have resolved to push for reforms,"
she said. "We want an urgent solution to the political
problems facing this country."
The group would pay prostitutes so they would
participate in the strike, Subow said.
'Not punishment'
Ida Odinga, the wife of the prime minister, Raila
Odinga, said on Thursday that she would join the
strike to protest against divisions between her
husband and the country's president.
"This should not be seen as a punishment to men, it
is a measure that is aimed at drawing their attention
to the real issues," she said.
It was not clear whether the wife of Mwai Kibaki,
the president, would join the strike.
The east African country has been in political
turmoil since a presidential election in December 2007
which Odinga accused Kibaki of stealing.
Protests led to violence that killed more than
1,000 people and left more than 600,000 homeless.
The two
rivals were pressed into a power-sharing deal by the
international community but disputes have crippled the
coalition government and fuelled wide popular
discontent. |
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