In the village of Cheptul, located in the Manda-Shivanga ward of Lugari sub-county, a woman named Rebecca Moi, aged 42, has found herself entangled in a cultural upheaval that has disrupted her life.
Rebecca’s life had been relatively stable and content. She had been married to Daniel Moi Samuel for eight years, and their union had blessed them with four children. However, in August 2018, tragedy struck when her husband lost his life in a fatal accident on the Webuye-Eldoret highway.
Little did she realize that her ordeal was far from over.
Following her husband’s burial, Rebecca’s father-in-law presented her with a demand that would dramatically alter the course of her life. He insisted that she adhere to the traditional custom of widow inheritance and marry her late husband’s brother.
Faced with this ultimatum, Rebecca bravely refused, taking a courageous stand against a deeply ingrained cultural practice. Her resistance had severe repercussions, as her father-in-law not only demolished her home but also forcibly evicted her from his property.
“He demolished my house and forced me out of his compound. The county government, through the widow shelter program, provided me with a new house, but my father-in-law insisted that I must be inherited by his son before I could move into the new house.”
He continued to insist on this practice, making her eligibility to live in the newly constructed house dependent on her compliance with this cultural tradition.
Despite her pleas and her efforts to seek assistance from village elders, the local administrator, and the children’s department, her father-in-law remained unwavering in his demands. She was left with no choice but to stay in a rental house for three months. When she was unable to pay rent, she ended up on the streets, until a kind neighbor helped her find temporary shelter in Tande.
“The owner of the house is expected to return soon, and I am unsure how I will survive. I am appealing to the authorities to help me return to my home, provide my children with a decent life, and enable them to attend school, as my current means of survival involves working on other people’s farms, earning an average of Sh150, which is barely enough to buy food,” she pleads.
Rebecca maintains that she resisted the practice due to the potential risks it posed, including the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Rebecca’s father-in-law, Samuel Amakhaya Mwanzo, refutes the allegations against him, suggesting that they are an attempt to tarnish his reputation. He claims that Rebecca left their home without informing them and even married someone else in another village. He argues that traditional rituals were not observed before she could return to her house, and she chose to cohabit with different men.
However, Rebecca’s brother-in-law, Isaac Wumba, offers a different perspective on the story. He alleges that Rebecca was involved with multiple men and urges her to take responsibility for her children, as their late brother had left behind three acres of land that could secure their future.
Local authorities have also weighed in on the matter. Cheptuli assistant chief Philip Chaos acknowledges being aware of the case and the role he played in mediating the dispute. According to him, Rebecca had previously experienced disputes with her late husband, and after his death, she left their marital home and leased her farm. When she married elsewhere, she was unable to return due to tradition. The county government even constructed a house for her, but she did not return, and her cohabitation with different men further complicated the situation.
