Widows in Murang’a county have formed a sacco to help them fight for their rights and properties.
Wajane Murang’a Sacco will have subgroups in the wards and constituencies.
Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege said she took the initiative to bring the widows together after discovering that many are victimised soon after their husbands die.
Chege said many widows are thrown out of their matrimonial homes and their property is taken away.
Without the financial capability to fight for their property, the widows are forced to leave and start afresh.
The sacco will engage a team of lawyers who volunteer their services to help the women secure their properties without charges, Chege said.
“Some women have had their brothers-in-law wanting to inherit them, and they are left helpless. The sacco will help the widows to stand together and support each other,” she said, adding that the sacco will organise ward clinics with the lawyers to reach out to widows in the villages.
Elderly widows who do not benefit from the cash transfer programme will also be supported through the sacco.
Desperately needy widows will be assisted with sponsorships for their children’s education, Chege said.
Speaking while celebrating Valentine’s day with widows at Kimorori grounds in Kenol town on Friday, Chege said while many widows live alone for decades, many widowers remarry soon after their wives’ death.
“That is why I chose to celebrate this day with the widows to show them love and remind them that they matter. I gave them Valentine gifts but also brought on board the Women Enterprise Fund, Uwezo fund and NHIF to talk to them on how to better support themselves,” she said.
With good structures, she said, members of the sacco will soon be able to benefit from the Women Enterprise Fund and start income-generating activities.
Bertha Gaitho, the founder and chairperson of Muungano wa Wajane community-based organisation, said the group forwarded a bill to support widows to the Attorney General in 2015 but that it is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
She said if passed into law, the bill would protect every widow in the country.
Bertha appealed to the government to set up a kitty to support widows, saying being financially stable will help them deal with stigma.
Bertha is the widow of the late AIPCA Archbishop Samson Gaitho.
Her organisation has over 500 groups in 16 counties.
“Many are accused of causing their husbands’ death and some are even imprisoned. Others are displaced from their homes with their children,” she said.
The wills left behind by husbands are often challenged in court, forcing the widows to find other ways of supporting their families.
