So another political showdown has sputtered out, for now. Kenya's parliamentary speaker Kenneth Marende opted not to rule on who should be head of government business in parliament, but instead told the bickering parties of President Mwai Kibaki and his coalition partner Prime Minister Raila Odinga to sort it out between themselves, stop feuding and get back to work. In the meantime, Marende will take on the critical job himself until the parties agree on a candidate -- Kibaki wants Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka in the job, but Odinga thinks it should be his.
Marende's decision seems a smart one, and he has been hailed by some as a Kenyan Solomon. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised Marende for his "wisdom and statesmanship" -- qualities that seem to be in somewhat short supply in the corridors of power these days.
But that is all old news. Nairobi is abuzz today with a much...er...sexier story. A group of 10 non-governmental organisations -- who call themselves Gender 10 -- has called on Kenyan women to deny their men sex for a week to protest at poor political leadership.
It's a great, headline-grabbing idea although perhaps not one that will find much popular support -- as one Kenyan woman told me: "If a woman does not give her man sex, she will find herself sleeping outside, or on the floor." Others have warned that the poor, deprived men will "stray". But, maybe to cover that possibility, Gender 10 has also urged prostitutes to join the sex boycott, with some NGOs saying they will pay prostitutes to stay off the streets.
Gender 10 also called on Kibaki's wife Lucy and Odinga's other half Ida to join the action.....no word yet on whether they will.
Patricia Nyaundi of the Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida) was quoted in the Daily Nation as saying: "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
Whatever the boycott's effect on the nations' bedrooms, it's a clever PR job. More seriously, it illustrates the anger fizzing across Kenyan society. Gender 10 said in a statement: "The women of this country are frustrated and most perturbed by the feuds, turns and twists of the coalition Government and particularly the lack of political leadership by the two principals, the President and Prime Minister, who have continuously shown the Kenyan people the contempt card."
2 comments:
Using sex as a tool to force change to me is taking things too far. Many women i have talked to think that this could cause a lot of problems for most of them which they are not ready for.
Check out my full view: http://www.kachwanya.com/?p=156
Thanks for your comment. Whatever the boycott's chances of success --and I agree there are complex reasons why many women would not wish to take part, even if they agreed with the overall aim -- I think G10's action does highlight a deepening country-wide frustration with politicians and the political class. It's another example of this frustration morphing from passive disappointment to action.
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