Gender Issues in Land Inheritance Rights and the Feminization of Poverty a Case Study Ofnkuene Location of the Meru District, Eastern

Abstract

This project paper explores the gender issues in land inheritance rights in Nkuene location of the Meru district in the Easter province of Kenya. It explores the attitudes of this particular community to women inheriting land. It also looks at the obstacles that constrain women who try to claim land from both their natal and marital homes. The researcher also explored the social networks that exist to assist these women when they are aenied land inheritance and they attempt to claim the same. Chapter four has the findings of the same that clearly show that women are disadvantage when it comes to land inheritance both as daughters and as wives. There are also inadequate social networks that assist women when they need to claim land. They are controlled by men who unfortunately are in most cases protective of this oppressive practice against women. The researcher also found out the general attitude of the community towards the issue of land inheritance by women is a negative. Women who try to claim land when denied have to deal with extreme hostility even from women themselves! Chapter five has the recommendations that the researcher thinks would be useful to address the imbalances in land inheritance patterns in the study community. The researcher hopes that readers will find the work intellectually stimulating.