READ THE WOMEN'S LAND RIGHTS PAPER N.4 ON “WATCHDOG GROUPS” PROTECTING WOMEN’S LAND RIGHTS IN GATUNDU DISTRICT, KENYA
WOMEN'S LAND RIGHTS IN KENYA
HIV-positive widows are often thrown out of their matrimonial homes, their land grabbed as they are blamed for their husbands’ deaths and/or feared to die within a short period of time. According to assistant chiefs’ records, of 85 cases of land grabbing reported to the provincial administrations in 10 sub-locations in Gatundu between 2007 and 2009, 48% involved property rights violations of widows, 40% violations of the property rights of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and 12% of vulnerable people, During the same period, 70% of cases were presented to the chief by the community land watch-dog group (WDG).
Due to a lack of awareness on land rights, as well as the importance of retaining legal documents to lodge court cases against perpetrators of such violations, the ability of widows and orphans to control land and other family assets is threatened.
To address this sit- uation, grassroots communities assisted by GROOTS Kenya have formed community land and property watchdog groups (WDGs) to protect widows and orphans from losing their land and property through disinheritance and asset striping. WDG members receive referrals from home-based care providers (HBCPs), gather information about vulnerable members of the community and use this information to protect and preserve the rights of those unable to afford or access formal legal services. If necessary, they link them to the formal justice system via partners who offer legal aid.
