Daughter's house gift sparks bitter family land feud

It is around noon, and Rhoda Wanyama sits pensively alongside her sisters, their gazes fixed on the charred ruins of what was once their late mother’s home in Siaka village, Kanduyi Constituency, Bungoma County.

Nearby workers prepare to erect a temporary structure where their house once stood.

For Rhoda, this site carries a deep and painful history: fifteen years ago, using her very first salary while working abroad, she built a modern house for her mother, Josephine Musundi Wanyama.

What was meant to be a lasting appreciation of filial gratitude was reduced to ashes under mysterious circumstances on May 11, 2026 exactly three years, after her mother passed away.

Behind the arson lies a bitter land feud rooted in deep-seated cultural taboos that dictate women should neither inherit ancestral land nor build houses for their parents while male siblings are alive.

"I built it in 2009 using my first salary and without any financial assistance from anyone," Rhoda recalls. My mother lived there until her death on May 11, 2023. It was our family home, a place of memories, and a symbol of the sacrifices she made for us," says Rhodah.

The news of its destruction reached Rhoda in Switzerland, where she works as a nurse.

"It was exactly 5:00 a.m. on Monday, May 11, 2026, when I switched on my phone and saw a message from my niece, Eileen. Attached was a photograph of what looked like a house engulfed in flames. Her message was short. They have burnt Mai’s house," she recounts.

'Mai' is the Bukusu word for mother. Three years later, on the exact same date, the home where she spent her final years was reduced to ashes.

Before her death, Josephine Musundi Wanyama took formal legal steps to divide her 3.5-acre property among her eight children one son and seven daughters.

According to court and family records, the mother allocated the largest share two acres to her only son, while distributing the remaining portion among her daughters in shares of less than a quarter-acre each.

Crucially, Josephine intentionally allocated Rhoda the specific parcel containing the house so that ownership would revert to her after her mother's passing.

Later, five of Rhoda's sisters opted not to keep their small parcels of land and sold them to Rhoda, who continues to pay to date.

However, the moment their mother was laid to rest in June 2023, conflict erupted.

"Some of my siblings and relatives started arguing that my mother had made a mistake allocating her daughters land. They maintained that, according to their understanding of culture, daughters should not inherit land and that it should instead belong to my brother," Rhoda explains.

Dorcas Wanyama, one of the sisters, corroborates the sequence of events, explaining that their late father, Peter Wanyama, passed away in 2006, leaving their mother with the land.

"In 2014, mum called us and proposed to subdivide the land among us. A surveyor came, and one of my sister held the title deed to clear an earlier auction lien before subdivision could proceed. The area chief wrote a letter, and formal signing took place at the Lands office. But immediately after our mum was buried, the wrangles began. The clan claimed our mother erred, arguing that girls have no right to inherit land and that our brother ought to have taken it all and merely gifted portions to his sisters if he wished," says Dorcas.

The conflict quickly escalated beyond verbal disagreements into intimidation and acts of desecration, including damage around their mother’s grave.

"We are being threatened by our relatives, including our siblings, that we will face calamities if we continue staying and developing that parcel of land. At the moment, our elder sister and brother don't see eye to eye with us," Dorcas adds.

Nancy Wanyama, says that the family has made endless trips to local administrative and law enforcement offices.

"This dispute is not unknown to the authorities," Nancy reveals. The local Chief, local Police, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Bungoma are aware of it. Our family lawyer has consistently maintained that my mother’s legally documented wishes should be respected," says Nancy.

Yet, following the May 11 arson attack, an Occurrence Book (OB) entry at the local police station yielded little progress.

The sisters were informed by investigators that there was "insufficient evidence" to move the case forward.

The plight of the Wanyama sisters highlights a wider structural clash across rural Kenya between customary practices and statutory law.

Charles Juma, a Bukusu elder, acknowledges that while traditional norms historically barred women from inheriting land, the legal landscape has shifted significantly.

"Before the 2010 Constitution, culture didn't allow girls to inherit land at their parents' home; a woman was expected to get land upon marriage at her husband’s place," Juma explains.

He adds "But currently, that is changing. All children, whether boys or girls, now have the right to land. I appeal to all government agencies to intervene so that, just like their mother wished, the girls get their share without being victimized by the boys."

Legal expert and women’s rights advocate Daisy Wakoli emphasizes that the law makes no distinction based on gender when it comes to succession.

"We are all recognized as children under the law, not as 'boy' or 'girl' children," Wakoli notes. "All children have the right to inherit an equal share from their parents. But on the ground, things are very different boys end up taking control, and even daughters who manage to get land are often harassed until they sell and relocate," said Wakoli.

Wakoli stresses that in this specific case, the mother exercised her legal rights as the registered property owner before her death.

"The mother subdivided the land before her demise. The son received two acres, and the daughters received small portions. Yet, the daughters have not been able to peacefully utilize their share. It is high time men realize that all children are equal under the law and appreciate what is given rather than fighting over land," says Wakoli.

Rather than seeking vengeance, Rhoda is determined to transform the site of the burned house into a sanctuary for community development and social change. She is currently registering a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) that will be headquartered on the contested parcel.

"Instead of allowing that place to remain a symbol of conflict, I want it to become a place that serves society through health, education, research, and empowerment. We are also going to focus on youth and elderly rehabilitation," said Rhoda.

Drawing on her professional background as a nurse, Rhoda also plans to offer medical support to patients suffering from sickle cell anemia a disease she has seen claim numerous lives in the region.

"This is a cry for Bukusu girls and other women who go through such situations in silence. If a family home can be burned down, it raises the terrifying prospect that human lives could also be at risk. My hope is not only to honor my mother’s memory, but to raise awareness about women’s inheritance rights and prevent violence before lives are lost," Rhodah says.