No kiss, no marriage: Court widens divorce grounds, redefines cruelty

A couple fighting. [Courtesy/iStock]

That morning kiss, the touch on the neck, the tickle on the ear, the massage on the legs, and the sex that keeps love's embers burning-if denied-could now be grounds for divorce.

In a landmark judgment that adds to the growing list of reasons why a Kenyan may seek divorce, Justice Reuben Nyakundi ruled that withdrawing affection or ceasing to do what one once did for a spouse amounts to desertion or cruelty. Such behaviour, he said, can justify the claim that a marriage is irretrievably broken.