My name is Jane, and I come from Runyenjes in Embu County. After our father died, he left a modest inheritance: three acres of coffee farm, a small permanent house close to the main road, and two rental units in Embu town. There were just the two of us children – my elder brother Peter and me. Dad always said everything should be shared equally. He repeated that line, “Mali ya mzazi si ya mtoto mmoja,” meaning a parent’s property isn’t for one child alone. I believed those words would guide us. They didn’t.
Right after the burial, Peter took over. He grabbed all the documents and said he would handle the paperwork since he was the firstborn son. I let him at first. A few weeks passed, and I found out he had filed succession papers at the Embu Law Courts naming himself the only beneficiary. My name wasn’t there at all. I asked him about it. He brushed me off. He said married daughters don’t get a share. He even claimed Dad had changed his mind privately before he passed. That stung the most because I knew it wasn’t true – Dad never said anything like that to me.
With no other choice, I went to court and filed a challenge to the succession process. The case has dragged on for months now. Peter avoids talking directly and files affidavits, acting like everything is above board and legal. He presents himself confidently, but the facts don’t add up. Under Kenyan law, the Law of Succession Act gives all children equal rights, sons and daughters alike, married or not. Courts in Embu and elsewhere have ruled that way many times – customary ideas that exclude married daughters don’t hold up against the Constitution. This isn’t just about family anymore; it’s about what the law actually says. Read more https://drbokko.com/?p=37287
