In a move that has sparked intense debate across the country, a Kenyan petitioner is asking Parliament to do something that many would consider unthinkable declare low libido in men and Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in women as official disabilities.
Dr Benson Kibore, a veterinary doctor turned law student, has formally submitted a petition to the National Assembly and Senate, arguing that the lack of sexual desire is not just a personal embarrassment but a public health crisis that is tearing families apart and even killing Kenyans.
The petition, filed under Article 37 and Article 119 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, as well as the Petitions to Parliament Procedure Act No 22 of 2012, seeks to address what Kibore describes as the "bedroom crisis" facing the nation.
And before you dismiss this as another bizarre petition from someone with too much time on their hands, the numbers and the stories behind this push might just make you think twice.
The Man Behind the Petition
Dr Benson Kibore is not your typical petitioner. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Medicine and a Master's Degree in Applied Microbiology in Virology from the University of Nairobi.
Currently, he is pursuing a Law Degree at the African Nazarene University. This combination of medical and legal training gives him a unique perspective on what he calls a "disability" that has been ignored for far too long.
His petition is built on a foundation of constitutional provisions that most Kenyans are familiar with but rarely connect to their sex lives.
Article 45(1) of the Constitution recognizes the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society. Article 43(1) guarantees every person the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including reproductive health care.
And Article 28 recognizes the inherent dignity of every person and the right to have that dignity respected and protected.
Kibore argues that when a man cannot perform in the bedroom or a woman has no desire for intimacy, these constitutional rights are being violated daily in thousands of Kenyan homes.
The Alarming Statistics
Here is where things get interesting. According to a study by Onyango et al published in 2026 in the Journal Medrxiv titled "Erectile dysfunction in young men in Nairobi County, Kenya: A community-based study," a staggering 10.4 percent of young people with a mean age of 27.4 years suffer from erectile dysfunction.
That means one in every ten young people in Nairobi cannot perform their marital obligations.
Think about that for a moment. We are not talking about grandfathers here. We are talking about young men in their twenties, the so-called Gen Z, who should be in their prime. Yet they are turning to blue pills just to get through the night.
The mainstream and social media are awash with stories of women agitating for their conjugal rights, only to be met with what the petition colorfully describes as "engine failure".
Many men have been forced to seek alternatives because their partners cannot lubricate, making it difficult to enjoy the fruits of relationships.
This, the petition argues, exposes families to the dangers of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and has contributed to the breakdown of many relationships and families.
The Blue Pill Epidemic
On December 22, 2025, the Ministry of Health issued an alert concerning the widespread misuse and illegal over-the-counter sale of sildenafil nitrate, commonly known as Viagra or the blue pill.
The ministry warned that unsupervised use, especially with nitrates or by individuals with undiagnosed heart issues, had caused a rise in strokes, heart attacks, and sudden deaths.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni stated that the drug is strictly a prescription-only medicine and should not be sold over the counter. She noted that when taken with other medicines, especially nitrates or certain blood pressure and heart medicines, it can cause dangerous interactions and increase the risk of life-threatening events such as heart attack and stroke.
According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, fatalities often occur when users with undiagnosed heart conditions or high blood pressure experience a fatal drop in blood pressure or cardiac arrest during physical exertion.
The danger has been compounded by a surge in counterfeit or "herbal" versions found during recent crackdowns in the Rift Valley and Nakuru, which often contain hidden, dangerously high doses of the drug.
Kibore argues that people are turning to these dangerous alternatives because the system has failed them. "We have lost so many Kenyans to unprescribed sex enhancing interventions trying to shake off the trauma of a failed system," he writes in his petition.
What Exactly Is Low Libido?
According to the petition, low libido is one of the components of male sexual dysfunction, which includes erectile dysfunction, ejaculation disorders, and delayed or inhibited orgasm. For many men and women, a rewarding sex life is an important part of life.
The loss of the enjoyment and satisfaction a good sex life brings has many knock-on effects, including poor self-esteem and relationship difficulties. These, in turn, affect men and women's home and work life.
Decreased libido involves reduced frequency of sexual thoughts and fantasies, interest in sexual intercourse, frequency of sexual activity, and sexual stimulation by sight, words, or touch. Persistent decreased libido can occasionally cause couples to break up.
Recent studies have demonstrated a close relationship between libido and cardiovascular diseases, concluding that maintaining libido could have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular and overall health among men.
The petition makes a powerful observation: "Sex drive is the symbolism of manhood and femininity.
The lack of it, also known as Low libido or dead sex drive causes severe psychological and emotional burden relegating the power and symbolism of male and female genital activity to mere spectatorship".
This, the petition argues, "is a precursor of family breakdown, infidelity and irretrievable breakdown of marriages".
What About Women?
The petition also addresses the female side of the equation through Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). This is a persistent lack of sexual interest or fantasies that causes significant personal distress or relationship conflict.
HSDD is associated with significant psychological distress and psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder. Various studies have placed the prevalence of HSDD anywhere from 8 percent to 50 percent.
The petition explains that female reproductive physiology is a function of neuroscience, an interplay between desire, arousal, and consumption.
HSDD can result if there is dysfunction of excitatory or inhibitory signals by preventing adequate excitation or promoting excessive inhibition.
"Good sex creates pleasure that stabilizes families and relationships. Stable families secure the future of children and wellbeing of the state," the petition argues.
The Devastating Consequences
The petition outlines a long list of risks and dangers if low libido and HSDD are not addressed. These include reduced marital satisfaction, emotional distance, psychological and emotional impact on the individual, risk of relationship breakdown, spousal infidelity, downward spiral in home life, and emotional strain on children.
Men and women often experience a loss of self-esteem, a diminished sense of masculinity and femininity, and feelings of being "broken" or incompetent.
The lack of desire is often accompanied by high levels of personal distress, anxiety, and depression, which further isolates the person from his or her family.
Low libido can also directly impact a couple's ability to conceive, causing further stress. And the stigma surrounding male and female sexual dysfunction often prevents people from seeking help, prolonging the suffering within the family.
The Legal Argument
This is where Kibore's legal training comes into play. Section 2 of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, defines "disability" as any physical, sensory, mental, psychological or other impairment, condition or illness that has or is perceived to have a substantial or long-term effect on an individual's ability to carry out ordinary day to day activities.
Kibore argues that low libido and HSDD fit this definition perfectly. They are conditions that have a substantial and long-term effect on an individual's ability to carry out ordinary day-to-day activities in this case, the ability to maintain intimate relationships and enjoy a basic aspect of human life.
Despite the clear provisions within the disability mainstreaming to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability, men with low libido and women with HSDD continue to encounter stigmas, negative attitudes and discrimination.
The failure to classify Low Libido and HSDD as a disability and the lack of recognition as a fundamental disability problem in the Social Health Authority Act 2023 and SHA Regulations 2024 offends the right to access healthcare and continues to cause family disunity.
The petition also references the 12th World Congress of Rehabilitation International, which recognized sexual disabilities in regard to the right to sexual expression, the right to marry, the right to become parents, the right to meaningful sexual relationships, sexual satisfaction, and sexual expression.
What the Petition Is Asking For
Kibore is asking Parliament to do fourteen specific things, but the key requests are:
First, that Parliament establishes that persistent Low Libido and Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder are medical conditions capable of causing substantial psychological, emotional, relational and functional impairment, and therefore warrant legislative and policy consideration.
Second, that the Persons with Disabilities Act, No. 4 of 2025, be amended to expressly recognize clinically diagnosed sexual disabilities that substantially and long-term impair ordinary daily functioning.
Once considerations have been made, each person clinically diagnosed with low libido would be issued with a disability card.
Third, that the Social Health Insurance Act, No. 16 of 2023, together with its Regulations, be amended to include medically indicated assessment, diagnosis, counselling and treatment of clinically recognized sexual dysfunctions within the Social Health Authority benefits package.
Fourth, that the Cabinet Secretary responsible for Health develop national clinical guidelines for the screening, diagnosis, referral, management and rehabilitation of persons suffering from low libido.
Fifth, that the Ministry of Health establish national public education and awareness programmes aimed at reducing stigma associated with sexual dysfunctions and encouraging early medical consultation and treatment.
Sixth, that the government supports research on sexual health disorders, including their prevalence, causes, treatment outcomes and socio-economic effects, to inform future legislation and public policy.
The Bigger Picture
Kibore's petition is not just about sex. It is about the family, the fundamental unit of society. "Protecting the family under Article 45 of the Constitution requires not only safeguarding the legal institution of marriage but also ensuring that preventable and treatable medical conditions affecting intimate relationships receive appropriate legislative attention," he writes.
The petition argues that it is time to openly discuss sexuality and the associated disabilities in order to address the stigmas associated with people with low libido who feel prejudiced by the intrusion of their rights to have the information to their sexuality not disclosed.
"People with sexual disabilities have the right to experience the sexual connectivity just as people without disabilities," the petition states. "If an individual without a disability experiences a lack of sexual desire, he or she is diagnosed as having hypoactive or inhibited sexual desire disorder.
Similarly, if this person is unable to experience an orgasm, he or she is diagnosed as having an orgasmic disorder. The classification of such diagnosis as a disability renders such persons the right to qualify for medical treatment and to receive assistance in achieving sexual satisfaction".
A Growing Crisis
The petition comes at a time when Kenya is grappling with a sexual health crisis that few are willing to talk about openly. A study published in the Journal of Gynecology and obstetrics found that the most prevalent sexual disorders in both genders were sexual arousal disorders at 76.4 percent, sexual desire problems at 16.42 percent, and orgasmic disorders at 3.6 percent.
Among patients with diabetes mellitus attending the outpatient diabetic clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital, the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in males included erectile dysfunction at 68.8 percent, orgasmic dysfunction at 48.4 percent, and sexual desire at a staggering 81.7 percent. Female sexual dysfunction was 36.6 percent.
These are not small numbers. These are hundreds of thousands of Kenyans struggling in silence, unable to talk about their problems, unable to seek help, and often turning to dangerous alternatives.
What Happens Next
The petition has been formally submitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly and Senate. If admitted, it will be referred to the relevant Departmental Committees of Parliament for consideration.
Kibore is asking Parliament to "move with speed to address this social and medical condition to safeguard the Statehood of the Country".
Whether Parliament will take this petition seriously remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the conversation about sexual health in Kenya is long overdue.
And if it takes a veterinarian-turned-lawyer to start that conversation, then maybe that is exactly what this country needs.
As Kibore puts it in his petition, "The conversation has to move from 'own sexual construct' such as 'It is his problem and he has to fix it' or 'I know she wants sex but the thought of it is failing is stressful,' to 'being in the mood' and recreating the emotional aspect of an enjoyable sexual relationship".
For the sake of Kenyan families, for the sake of Kenyan marriages, and for the sake of all those young people struggling in silence, let us hope Parliament listens.
The petition was filed on 14th July, 2026, under Article 37 and Article 119 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, and the Petitions to Parliament Procedure Act No 22 of 2012.
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