Taita-Taveta elders unite to champion women’s land rights

Women’s property ownership remains unequal to that of men, despite their important family and community roles.

Women are often marginalised because of the patriarchal nature of society. As a result, they grapple with poverty, disease and gender-based violence.

To change the narrative, the Taita Taveta council of elders has adopted a new approach to championing women’s rights in rural communities. The Njavungo Council now advocates equal land rights to help women access, own and inherit land.

Njavungo official Ronald Mwasi said the elders are drawn from Voi, Mwatate, Wundanyi and Taveta.

Also read: Activists launch regional bid to secure women's land rights

“The Constitution guarantees the right to property ownership. In our meetings, we create awareness of these rights. Many women are fighting to keep land that is legally theirs, because of patriarchal traditions and lack of awareness,” he said.

Mr Mwasi said they seek to convince society to improve land governance from the grassroots so that women can get land for farming, mining and building homes.

“We realised that women have remained significantly disadvantaged."

He said their dialogues revolve around raising awareness and strengthening knowledge of land inequalities.

“Women are a great pillar of society. Unfortunately, they have, for a long time, been left behind.”

End goal

He said the campaign contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of eradicating food insecurity, poverty, and gender inequality.

Mr Mwasi, who is also the secretary for Baraza Kuu la Wazee wa Pwani, said the advocacy is also being discussed at the regional level, where elders from the six coastal counties have partnered to push for gender equality. The other counties are Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu.

Mr Mnjala Mwaluma, the council’s spokesman, said there’s a need to promote and adopt gender-sensitive legislation to fight for these rights. “All people regardless of their gender have equal rights to inherit land. Such traditions and culture are backward.”

Apart from the land rights, the elders have joined in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). They are working alongside government agencies, including the Anti-FGM Board, to challenge the stereotypes that lead to FGM.

Also read: Make inheritance right a reality for women

Reports indicate that FGM is still rampant in the area, especially among the Maasai, the Somali and the Taita in the county.

“We are supporting the government because we have realised that FGM is violence against women and girls,” said Mr Mnjala.

The group has been advocating alternative rites of passage to empower women and girls, instead of forcing them to undergo the cut.

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