Kenya: Single women to easily inherit family property

Submitted by anthony on Tue, 2009-10-20 02:03

Article here. Excerpt:

'A proposed land policy will make it easier for unmarried women to inherit family property, including land.

The National Land Policy also explicitly prohibits one spouse from selling family land without the consent of the other.

In the 2005 national referendum on a proposed constitution, some Kenyans voted against the draft law, arguing that it allowed women to inherit land, contrary to their customs.

Women’s rights

However, this time, people will not be given a choice on the matter.

“The government will put in place appropriate legislation to ensure effective protection of women’s rights to land and related resources,” says the draft policy, which Lands minister James Orengo is expected to table in Parliament next month.

It will further secure “inheritance rights of unmarried daughters in line with the practices of the respective communities” through public awareness campaigns.'

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