This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
On November 17, 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Law of Succession (Amendment) Bill, which aims to streamline succession matters in Kenya.
The new law, sponsored by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, limits the dependants entitled to inherit property to only the spouse and children of the deceased, whether or not maintained by the deceased prior to death.
This move is expected to curb the practice of secret partners popping up after a person's death to demand recognition and a share of their property.
During the debate on the Bill in the National Assembly, MPs argued that once a person dies, their families should not be compelled to continue helping those whom the deceased was helping or sharing their wealth with.
North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood said, 'Supporting somebody out of goodwill does not mean the person automatically becomes part of one's relatives, and that entrenching the habit is likely to be abused by the intended beneficiaries.'
The new law consolidates the provisions of the previous law, which included the deceased's parents, grandparents, grandchildren, stepchildren, children whom the deceased had taken into his family as his own, brothers and sisters as well as half-brothers being maintained by the deceased prior to death, as beneficiaries.
