Homabay Town MP Peter Kaluma says whereas the law on inheritance for Muslims is clear under the Quran, bequest among other faiths is messy under the Act.
Kaluma says on Thursday, he moved the Law of Succession (Amendment) Bill, 2019 though subsequent public and media debates could be confirming a lack of understanding of this Bill.
“I request all of us to read the current section 29 of the Law of Succession Act which I’m seeking to amend together with the definition of spouse I’m introducing and support this Bill,” says Kaluma.
Kaluma says proposing to delete section 29 (c) of the Law of Succession Act, the Bill makes it possible for a husband to inherit the property of his wife as a dependent without having to prove his deceased wife was maintaining him.
“This provision sought to be deleted is openly unfair to a widower; it treats distant relatives as dependents for purposes of succession in priority to the husband whose wife has died.”
It proposes the definition “spouse” to have the meaning assigned to the term under the marriage Act; the Bill narrows inheritance to those in a lawful marriage and keeps out secret lovers.
“This will prevent the culture of slay queens and their male counterparts from scavenging on the estate of a deceased person, a situation which is currently very rampant.”
The Bill caters for the children of a deceased person whether their parents were married or not and whether their deceased parent provided for them when he/she lived or not.
“I request all to read the outdated provisions of section 29 of the Law of Succession Act and the Bill for an informed decision on it. We must protect the family,” says Kaluma.
By Frank Akunga
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