Kenya among states that oppress widows

Kenya has been named among countries in the world where widows are seriously oppressed.

World Widows Report launched at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday last week revealed that Kenyan widows suffer from discrimination, systematic seizure of property and evictions by their late husband’s families.

The report by The Loomba Foundation says Kenya has an estimated eight million widows.

Neighbours Uganda and Tanzania have also been listed as countries where widows are abused.

Other African countries where widows know no peace are Angola, Botswana, Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The report posted on Loomba Foundation website www.theloombafoundation.org names Bangladesh the country that has made the lives of widows most unbearable in the world.

In the list of countries where widows lead devastated lifestyles, the organisation that defends the rights of widows in the world ranks Kenya 33rd.

Other abuses that widows suffer include being abandoned, evictions, as well as being subjected to traditional ‘cleansing’ rituals.

Others, especially the poor ones, suffer from sexual abuses and forced re-marriage.

“Customary cleansing rituals, where a widow is forced to drink water that has been used to wash the corpse of their husbands and have sex with their husband’s relatives continue to spread venereal diseases and violate the dignity of widows in many Sub-Saharan countries,” says the report.

Ms Roseline Orwa, a Kenyan activist who spoke to the Nation from Kisumu on Wednesday, concurred with the findings, saying Kenyan widows are subjected to a lot of suffering.

Ms Orwa, who chairs an organisation called Sauti ya Wajane Kenya (Voice of widows) called on the society to observe the rights of widows.