Woman with dual citizenship in inheritance dispute

By TITUS TOO

Nandi,Kenya:Kenyan woman married to Swiss claims her family wants to eject her from home

A woman with Kenyan and Swiss citizenships is pressing to be given a share of her parents’ property in Nandi County.

Joyce Suerey Renharnd, married to a Swiss national, claimed that a house she put up and had been dwelling in, at her parents’ Lolkeringet home had been brought down while she was away.

She claims that some of her kin had ganged up against her and wanted to eject her from the home. “Although I live in Switzerland, I should have a home back here in Kenya. East or west, home is best,” she said at Lolkeringet.

Mrs Renharnd said she travelled back to the country in March only to discover that the brick house she constructed at their rural home had been destroyed.

She said she flies into the country once every year and always visits her rural home in Nandi whenever she is around.

“When I landed back to the country this year, I was dismayed to discover that I had been disinherited and my house had been destroyed,” she said.

She demanded that her rights on inheritance be respected, protesting that she had been discriminated upon.

“I’m still a Kenyan citizen and I still have my constitutional right to inherit my parents’ property as a woman,” she said.

Renharnd added that she had reported the matter at the Kapsabet police divisional headquarters.

Nandi OCPD Nelson Okioga confirmed the matter had been reported and added that it was a domestic issue that had lasted for some time.

We could not get comment from the woman’s kin who are living in Switzerland.

But one of the uncles at Lolkeringet, Henry Koech, said the family had no quarrels on the utilisation of the family property before they left for Switzerland.

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“We don’t know what happened. They were united before they flew abroad and there were no disputes,” said Koech.

Mr Koech at the same time said the house claimed by Joyce was jointly constructed by her and the other members of the family.

“We could wish that they sit as a family and resolve any matters between them,” he added.

Isaack Kipkosgei Rotich, a local cleric, also called for dialogue to ensure the issue is amicably resolved. He also called for respect for both genders in the society, saying the current Constitution respects the rights of all.

“Both genders need to be given an ear whenever decisions are made,” he said, adding that this was in accordance with the Constitution.

The woman says after the destruction of the house, she has been forced to seek an alternative dwelling place in Eldoret town.