Group blames insecurity for rising number of widows

Widows from across the country have called on the Government to tackle insecurity so that women don’t lose their spouses unnecessarily.

Solace Widows Foundation Director Bertha Gaitho said insecurity was partly to blame for the high number of widows in the country.

“Very many men are losing their lives defending their families during attacks on villages and homes,” Mrs Gaitho said.

She said over 100 women were widowed in the Lamu attacks and the foundation was mobilising resources to help them cope with the loss.

“The high number of women becoming widows is unprecedented. We have come together as widows to encourage each other and share information on how to fend off greedy relatives who seek to disinherit us,” she said.

AMEND ACT

Mrs Gaitho, who is the widow of Retired Archbishop Samson Mwangi Gaitho, was addressing over 200 widows in Nyeri town during a meeting to sensitise them on the Succession Act.

“We need the current Parliament to make amendments to the Succession Act because it sometimes takes up to five years for their inheritance cases to be heard, which makes them susceptible to poverty and disinheritance,” Gaitho said.

She said the Government should establish a special kitty for widows.

“Widows usually come to us seeking help because their children are usually discriminated against in the allocation of bursaries,” she said.