Using Biographical and Family History Methods in Sub-Saharan Africa: Inheritance in Kenya

Inheritance systems and practices in sub-Saharan Africa play a key role in people‘s ability to exit poverty, or, conversely, plunging them further into it.  As land is the major asset in low-income developing countries, how property is passed on and divided between future generations is a significant factor.  This paper looks at inheritance through through the lens of biographical interviews with several generations of Kenyan families, seeking to explain that the how and why of poverty needs to be understood in the wider family context.  It analyses fortunes and misfortunes of families over a given time period in the context of property ownership rights.  It also looks at the impact of education and the inheritance of cultural capital.  When both fertility and survival are high, traditional patterns of land inheritance can lead to the progressive sub-division of land with long-term adverse implications for sustainability.  While inheritance in Kenya is male-dominated, the paper nonetheless examines the position of women in the chain as vectors of male property rights.  The application of male-oriented customary law where inheritance is concerned, rather than the use of statutory legislation, was found to be the reality for the overwhelming majority of the participants in the study.  The practical implications of this for safeguarding the property rights of women and their children is discussed.