Family Law Digest: Matrimonial Property

Charles Kanjama, Katarina Juma

Description

Family Law Digest book critiques the inconsistency of the Kenyan courts decisions as regards the division of matrimonial property. In a nutshell, this digest is a review of the decisions of Kenyan courts when faced with the question of the determination of inter-spousal property rights.

Sujets

• Law

Informations

• Publié par: LawAfrica Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 29 décembre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9789966031990
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

F AMILY L AW D IGEST : M ATRIMONIAL P ROPERTY

F AMILY L AW D IGEST : M ATRIMONIAL P ROPERTY

General Editor

Charles Kanjama LLB (UON) Advocate of High Court of Kenya

Assistant Editor

Katarina Juma LLB (Wales), LLM (Cornell) Advocate of High Court of Kenya

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T C ABLE OF ONTENTS

Foreword.................................................................................................. Acknowledgement.................................................................................... Table of Cases Reported........................................................................... Table of Cited Cases ................................................................................. Statutes..................................................................................................... Subject Matter Index ................................................................................ Introduction PART I: Spouses’ Interests Inter se under the MWPA Pettit v Pettit [1969].................................................................................. Gissing v Gissing [1970]............................................................................ I v I [1979] ............................................................................................... Karanja v Karanja [1976]........................................................................... Njuguna v Njuguna [1986]....................................................................... Kivuitu v Kivuitu [1991] .......................................................................... Essa v Essa [1996] ..................................................................................... Mungai v Mungai [1997].......................................................................... Kimani v Kimani [1997] ........................................................................... Nderitu v Nderitu [1998] ......................................................................... Kamore v Kamore [2000]] ........................................................................ Mbugua v Mbugua [2000] ........................................................................ Muthembwa v Muthembwa [2002] .......................................................... Assessment of the Part I cases............................................................. PART II: Trust Law and Property Rights against Third Parties Ahn v Openda [1982]............................................................................... Kabui v Wairimu [19851........................................................................... Russell Co Ltd v Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd [1985, 1993] ................. Wanjiku v Mutiso [1988] .......................................................................... Njoki v Gachingiri [1997] ........................................................................

vii viii ix x xii xiii

7 25 40 43 45 48 61 68 81 93 107 120 139 149

153 158 161 169 183

vi

Family Law Digest - Matrimonial Property

HFCK v Kimeria and another [1998] ....................................................... Ndungu v Ndungu [2000]........................................................................ Kitale v Kitale and another [2001]............................................................. Mwakalindile v NBC Holding Corporation [2001]................................... PART III: Miscellaneous Matters Al-Amin v Mohamed [2000] .................................................................... Hamoud v Hamoud [2000]....................................................................... Onege v Zahlten [2000] ........................................................................... Re Kaara’s Estate [2000] ........................................................................... Appendix: CEDAW...............................................................................

187 191 197 206

212 215 218 220 223

F OREWORD

Between 1998 and 2000, ICJ (K) undertook a nationwide research to investigate whether and how women encounter illegitimate barriers in accessing justice from formal courts. One of the research components: looked at issues of Family (inheritance, maintenance etc) and Commercial Law (business employment, enforcement of contracts etc). Research findings confirmed that attitudinal biases across the legal and judicial systems may not be institutionalized, but derogate in a real sense the rights to access justice by women.

After sensitising judicial officers on gender biases that exist in the judiciary, ICJ (K) narrowed the scope to address the issue of Women’s Property and Inheritance [1970] Rights in Kenya. In this regard, ICJ continued working with Judiciary by training and sensitising judicial officers on Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights with specific reference to Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) provisions.

All the activities undertaken were geared towards improving and strengthening Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights treatment within the national civil justice system by strengthening institutional policy of the Judiciary through propagating CEDAW and a Judicial Code of Conduct that is specific on guidelines against gender discrimination; by monitoring and evaluating the impact of litigation in Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights; by contributing to development of a detailed national gender programme and by coming up with new and sustainable approaches to collaborative strengthening of Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights.

This Case Law Digest covers cases that have raised significant or core value issues in Property Rights between spouses spanning three decades up to 2002. The editorial analysis is provided in light of the triple provisions of the Married Women’s Property Act, local statutes and applicable common law.The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women is appended.

KAGWIRIA MBOGORI

Executive Director ICJ (K)

A CKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank USAID Washington through the Development Alternative Inc. (DAI) for their financial support of this project. I would also like to thank the Judiciary especially, the Kenya Magistrates’ and Judges Association who have been our main collaborators in implementing most of the activities under this project.

KAGWIRIA MBOGORI

Executive Director ICJ (K)

T C R ABLE OF ASES EPORTED

Ahn v Openda [1981] LLR 1209 (CAK) .......................................... 153-157 Al-Amin v Mohamed [1995] LLR 4 (HCK) ..................................... 212-214 Essa v Essa [1995] LLR 384 (CAK)....................................................... 61-67 Gissing v Gissing [1970] 2 All ER 780 .................................................. 25-39 Hamoud v Hamoud [1999] LLR 100 (HCK) ................................... 215-217 HFCK v Kimeria and another [1996] LLR 471 (CAK) ..................... 187-190 I v I [1971] EA 278 .............................................................................. 40-42 Kabui v Wairimu [1983] LLR 1324 (CAK) ....................................... 158-160 Kamore v Kamore [1998] LLR 714 (CAK); [2000] 1 EA 80 ............. 107-119 Karanja v Karanja [1976] KLR 307 ....................................................... 43-44 Kimani v Kimani [1997] LLR 553 (CAK); [1995-1998] 1 EA 134 ........ 81-92 Kitale v Kitale and another [2000] LLR 968 (HCK) ........................ 197-205 Kivuitu v Kivuitu [1985] LLR 1411 (CAK); [1990-1994] 1 EA 270...... 48-60 Mbugua v Mbugua [1997] LLR 1685 (HCK);[2001] 2 EA 445......... 120-138 Mungai v Mungai [1995] LLR 405 (CAK) ........................................... 68-80 Muthembwa v Muthembwa [2001] LLR 3496 (CAK); [2002] 1 EA 186 ..................................................................................... 139-148 Mwakalindile v NBC Holding Corporation [2000] LLR 6 (CAT); [2001] 1 EA 148 ................................................... 206-210 Nderitu v Nderitu [1997] LLR 606 (CAK); [1995-1998] 1 EA 235 .... 93-106 Ndungu v Ndungu [2000] LLR 3497 (CAK) ................................... 191-196 Njoki v Gachingiri [1989] LLR 17 (HCK) ....................................... 183-186 Njuguna v Njuguna [1982] LLR 823 (HCK)........................................ 45-47 Onege v Zahlten [1999] LLR 89 (HCK) .......................................... 218-219 Pettitt v Pettitt [1969] 2 AII ER 385 ....................................................... 7-24 Re Kaara’s Estate [1999] LLR 1115 (HCK)....................................... 220-222 Russell Co. Ltd v Commercial Bank of Africa (1) [1985] LLR 1415 (CAK) ......................................................................................... 161-168 Russell Co. Ltd v Commercial Bank of Africa (2) [1991] LLR 2340 (CAK) ......................................................................................... 161-138 Wanjiku v Mutiso [1985] LLR 1415 (CAK)...................................... 169-182