Assisting Kenyan Widows in gaining control to Family Land

Access to and control over land is crucial for family well-being and food security in Kenya. Most land in Kenya is acquired through inheritance of family ancestral land, which is transferred down the male lineage.  Because of this traditional land ownership, the death of a husband can threaten a widow’s psychological and physical wellbeing. Often, she is blamed for the misfortunes in the family and punished by being chased away from her matrimonial home and property.

Against this backdrop, YWAP carried out an action research as an attempt to assist widows to regain property – especially land – through systemic documentation of their experiences.  The project research was conducted through interviews, group discussions with widows, women leaders and local leaders over a period of one year, and led to greater understanding of the difficulties that young widows and their children undergo due to property grabbing, disinheritance and eventual loss of family land.

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Uploaded on: Jan 13, 2014
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2015
Issues: Community / Customary Land Rights, Family, Gender-based violence, Governance, Accountability & Transparency, Traditional / Customary Justice, Women's Rights Tool Type: Reports / Research Target Population: Rural Method: Research Languages: English Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa