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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