Meru widow’s bitter test pushes her to seek justice for her ilk

When Ms Cynthia Kananu lost her husband in 2011, her in-laws turned against her and denied her a share of his property. She formed the Inua Mama Mjane Foundation that defends the welfare and rights of widows in Meru to sensitise them on property rights and the procedure for claiming the deceased husband’s property. A random survey in Meru established that gender-based violence, widow inheritance, disinheritance and eviction was rife. Ms Kananu is advocating for the establishment of a widows’ directorate in the national government’s gender department to address their plight.