Widow Inheritance

Comfortably read and enjoy where I’ll be taking you at this special moment. It has come to my attention and as well with great love that I wrote this article only to make us aware of where we are really coming from. Let’s go one by one up to the Western part of Kenya, where we found an amazing Nilotic language, specifically the Luo tribe with their culture. Sure they are unique and indeed the 2nd largest group in Kenya after the Kikuyu people. The people are lovely and kind. They have their cultural food that is “Akuoyu” and also fish. They have a unique way of tradition compared to the rest of Kenyan culture, a special  practice in marriage that is widow inheritance. 

“Mom! Dad Is gone now. What next?” Oh! Son guess what! My next wedding is soon to that uncle of yours. Widow inheritance has been a practice where a widow is married to a male relative of her late husband, with no regard to the man’s character or even caring for the woman’s consent. Unfortunately, it doesn’t even matter if the new husband can or cannot make a good husband of her wish. This practice is as well known as widow cleansing, where the widow is expected to have sex with the sibling of his late husband without using any protection in order to clean her from her dead husband but to keep her in marriage in the same family. This practice is carried out for many reasons which include: retaining the family’s health, where they believe if she is re-married to another man, it will benefit her new family. The practice is also for continuity of the deceased’s family and also to support the kids of her late husband.

Due to this kind of practice, there have been some demerits against it. It has indeed led to a lot of frustrating effects in our society in general. One, it has been a mean of spreading HIV/AIDS among the members of the communities which carry out this practice. It has also led to disrespect between the members of the community and how they treat the orphaned children of AIDS, leaving them to become street children. We only cry inside our heart, but let’s take this chance to think: does it really help or worsen the upcoming generation. It does nothing but result in high birth rates of children infected with HIV. Think about it please.

Onto my second point, despite the fact that Kenya is a 3rd world country, at the same time it is a developing country. The 1st point was a hinderance to a national prosperity, due to the increase in population and disease, the government’s priority becomes taking care of the increasing number of patients infected with HIV/AIDS. As a result, orphans still increase due to re-marrying and having more children that the father tends to love his biological children more, of which is not fate but we all know that life is never fair. It’s only just.

They normally say that anything that has disadvantages has advantages as well. And without forgetting the proverb: “Experience is the best teacher.” This is what motivates them to do it. It’s a way of comforting the widow and keeping her from feeling lonely. It also increases the strong bond between the families. It comforts the infected patients and showing them it’s not a thing that someone can’t live on earth with. Hence giving them pride so that they don’t feel down enough to demoralize after. I would like to tell you that experience is the best teacher. It does not apply heroics but pride comes before a fall is what is applicable for this case.

Despite the advantages, the disadvantages are more. Let’s open our eyes as well as our brains and think not once or twice but as much as we can. Let’s all get to the world of reality. Widow inheritance is bad, is actually evil that is for the religious people or do you think it’s not? A good practice to continue with? Take enough time to think about it. But as for me, it’s not and never shall it be.

Widow inheritance should not be a norm in our society and the government should make policies to eradicate it from our society regarding its impact and effects. But the government starts with me, with you, with us and all of us should join hands to make widow inheritance history.

Click here to learn more about widow inheritance.