In an example of just how separated from reality many African nations’ AIDS policies are, Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi recently urged all Kenyans to completely refrain from sex “even for only two years” to help slow down the pace of the epidemic.
About 11 percent of all adult Kenyans are infected with AIDS and about 700 die from the disease every day. Pressure from religious groups, however, has restricted the options available to fight the disease.
For example, Moi also recently announced that Kenya would import 300 million condoms which immediately brought denunciation from religious and government leaders. Kenyan Catholic Archbishop John Njenga told the East African Standard that, “Committing adultery is against the laws of God and importing condoms will mean that more people will be actively engaged in sex.” Meanwhile a representative of Kenya’s Islamic community, Sheikh Mohamed Dor, said that importing so many condoms was akin to “committing suicide.”
Source:
No sex for two years, Moi urges Kenyan people. Reuters, July 12, 2001.