This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
On November 17, 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Law of Succession (Amendment) Bill into law at State House, Nairobi, marking a significant milestone in Kenya's succession planning.
The bill, sponsored by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma in November 2019, aims to streamline the administration of succession matters and offer greater protection to spouses, children, and the extended family.
According to Kaluma, the Succession law is meant to provide greater protection to dependants, including spouses, children, and the extended family, in succession matters.
The bill notably amends Section 29 of Cap 160 to define dependants as the wife or wives, or former wife or wives, and the children of the deceased, as well as other relatives who were being maintained by the deceased immediately prior to their death.
However, legal analysts have opined that the bill may not provide sufficient legal backing for nonconventional dependants, such as secret lovers, to stake a claim to estates of deceased individuals.
The three bills signed into law by President Kenyatta, including the Refugees Bill and Foreign Service Bill, will have to be gazetted as Acts of Parliament within the next seven days to become law.
