Local chiefs, judges and magistrates discuss laws governing women’s land rights

Local chiefs, magistrates and members of the land disputes tribunal in Kenya will discuss laws and customs governing women’s rights to land at a meeting in Nakuru, north-west of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

The meeting, taking place between 16 and 18 April, will focus on enhancing awareness and understanding of women’s rights and facilitating women’s access to justice through both statutory and customary laws.

This follows an assessment that took place in Kenya last December which identified the need for dialogue between those responsible for administering justice in order to remove the backlog of cases on land disputes.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has organised the event in collaboration with Kenya’s Women’s Judges Association and Satima Consultants, a Kenya-based consultancy firm. The dialogue between traditional chiefs and members of the land disputes tribunal will be facilitated by expert advisers from the judiciary.

“This meeting will explore ways for women’s rights to be fully respected in the administration of justice,” said Jane Kiragu, Managing Director of Satima Consultants.

“There are already traditional practices in Kenya which do protect women in disputes over land but it is also important to discover new ways to integrate gender sensitivities so that the process of dealing with land rights improves.”

Over the past few years the Secretariat has organised a series of meetings which promote dialogue between national women’s machineries, law ministries, the judiciary, legal practitioners, academics, traditional chiefs, religious and community leaders, adjudicators in customary law and women’s rights advocates. Any recommendations made at these meetings are then taken forward by the Secretariat.

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