Despite Kenya's new constitution granting women the same land rights as men, many widows and children still lack access to justice because of intimidation, ignorance and the high cost of filing cases
p>NAIROBI (TrustLaw) – Kenyan widows should be given legal assistance to protect themselves and their children from being evicted from their homes, rights campaigners told The Standard newspaper on Thursday.Hundreds gathered in western Kenya’s Siaya County to hear crying widows tell of how they had been robbed of their land because culture bars them from inheritance.
“I thought it was a dream and tried to resist but the man went ahead to destroy my house and property as the police watched,” one elderly widow reportedly said, detailing how a stranger forced her off her land weeks after her husband died.
“I am now living as a squatter on someone else’s land with my six children.”
Despite Kenya's new constitution granting women the same land rights as men, many widows and children still lack access to justice because of intimidation, ignorance and the high cost of filing cases.
Another widow said that a senior civic leader had forcibly taken her family land soon after her husband died.
“Every time I try to file a case in court, he threatens me with death and no one is willing to help me as many people fear him because of his political connections,” she reportedly said.
Land grabbing by powerful figures in government is common in Kenya and its corrupt courts have done little over the years to restore property to its rightful owners.
Women’s rights campaigners at the meeting called upon the government to form legal committees from the village level to help women enjoy their land rights, the newspaper reported.
“The culture that dictates that only men should have their names in title deeds is repugnant and should have died with the promulgation of the new constitution, women’s rights activist Phoebe Nyawalo reportedly said.
The meeting was organised by Community Initiatives Action Group – a network of local organisations - and Kenya Transition Initiative, a USAID –sponsored project.
(Editing by Maria Caspani)
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