NAIROBI, Kenya, June 18 – Members of Parliament are set to consider a petition seeking reforms to Kenya’s succession laws in a move aimed at reducing delays in inheritance cases and unlocking billions of shillings tied up in unadministered estates.
The petition, submitted by former Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu and 22 others, argues that lengthy succession processes are preventing productive assets, particularly land, from being transferred to beneficiaries and put to economic use.
According to the petitioners, inheritance disputes and court processes can take between 20 and 40 years to conclude, leaving assets registered in the names of deceased persons for decades.
They argue that the delays have turned significant amounts of land and property into “dead capital,” limiting their use as collateral for loans, investment and agricultural development.
“The succession process remains complex, costly and largely inaccessible to ordinary citizens under the current framework,” the petition states.
The petitioners contend that the current legal framework under the Law of Succession Act is outdated and contributes to delays through multiple procedural requirements, including court filings, property valuations, gazettement and approvals from various registries.
They further argue that slow estate administration has broader economic consequences, including reduced access to credit, increased family disputes over property, and a growing backlog of cases in the courts.
The petition proposes a range of reforms, including simplified probate procedures for small estates, wider use of administrative settlement mechanisms for uncontested cases, and full digitisation of succession processes.
It also calls for better integration of civil registration systems with land and property records to improve efficiency and transparency.
If adopted, the proposals could significantly shorten the time required to transfer assets to beneficiaries and increase the flow of property into productive economic activities.
The petition will now be considered by the National Assembly, which may refer it to the relevant committee for review and recommendations before any legislative changes are proposed.
