This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, the Njuri Ncheke, the supreme Council of Meru elders, took a significant step towards promoting women's rights in their community.
During a meeting to discuss the implementation of a county policy on sexual and gender-based violence, the elders proposed the formulation of a policy to return the sanctity of dowry among their people.
According to Josephat Murangiri, Njuri Ncheke's Secretary General in-charge of operations, dowry should never be the basis to prevent young men and women from getting lifetime partners.
The proposed policy aims to clearly stipulate what traditional dowry rates translate to in modern terms, reducing the interpretation of dowry values to the parties involved.
The move is part of a broader effort to address the region's low ranking in women's rights and gender-based violence, with the National Crimes Centre ranking Meru as one of the counties with the highest incidences of sexual and gender-based violence.
