By JOSEPH WANGUIMore by this AuthorA court ruling asserting that married women qualify to inherit properties of their fathers and should not be excluded during distribution has stirred debate between defenders of women’s and men’s rights. Justice Lucy Waithaka held that married daughters are also entitled to inherit their father’s estate, contrary to customary law and many traditions in the country. “The Judiciary should continue leading the way in discarding sections of customary law that oppress women and deny them their rights.”Related Content Unruly sisters denied share of father’s estateShe said the decision is also beneficial to men, arguing that when women inherit property from their fathers, they become economically independent of their husbands. Before the 2010 Constitution, she said, the courts would consider the traditions of the litigants and often sided with customary law. In her proposed mode of distributing the estate, Ms Wathuta said her four stepdaughters were married and were therefore not entitled to benefit.

Source: Daily Nation February 06, 2019 06:56 UTC