KENYA

I. SUMMARY

II. RECOMMENDATIONS

Supplementary Material

Take Action Now! Q&A: Women’s Property Rights Fact Sheet: Women’s Property Rights Violations in Kenya Illustrative Cases: Women Tell of the Devastation of Property Rights Abuses Human Rights Watch Materials on Women’s Property Rights Links to Resources on Women’s Property Rights More on Women's Rights More on Human Rights and HIV/AIDS

To the Government of Kenya
Legal Reforms
Institutional and Programmatic Reforms and Initiatives
To Donors and International Organizations

III. BACKGROUND

Historical Context
Post-Independence Legislative Initiatives
Marriage Laws and Practices
Women's Status in Kenya
HIV/AIDS and Women in Kenya
Customary Laws Today
Wife Inheritance and Ritual Cleansing
Response of the Government and Donors; Recent Political Developments
Nongovernmental Efforts to Prevent and Remedy Property Violations

IV. WOMEN'S PROPERTY RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

Widows from Rural Areas
Widows from Urban Areas
Women Whose Parents Have Died
Divorced or Separated Women
Married Women's Lack of Control over Property
Consequences of Women's Property Rights Violations

V. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Discriminatory Laws
Biased Attitudes
Unresponsive Government and Traditional Authorities
Ineffective Courts
Obstacles to Women Claiming Property

VI. INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STANDARDS

VII. CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS