Dangerous liaisons: navigating women's land rights and disputes

Land holds immense economic, cultural, religious, and political significance for most sub-Saharan African countries. However, customary patriarchal norms restrict land ownership to the male lineage, while women typically access land through relationships with men. Women’s land rights thus remain weak and vulnerable to disputes, particularly when these relationships are severed. Despite legal reforms aimed at enhancing women’s land rights in Kenya, customary norms remain deeply entrenched.This book examines the experiences of women entangled in land disputes. It illustrates women’s vulnerability to land disputes and demonstrates how men exploit their positions of authority to manipulate existing institutions to deprive women of their land rights. These women contend with violence and social exclusion in unclear land dispute resolution structures. While formal courts are more likely to safeguard women’s land rights, the process is often arduous, costly, and often tainted by corruption.