Report of the National Conference: Women's Property Rights ... - FAO

7.3 Zimbabwe Republic Police Programme on Inheritance rights: EuniceMarima, InspectorThe successes experienced by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in dealing with issues ofproperty grabbing have largely been due to established linkages with other partners suchas Zimbabwe Widows and Orphans Trust (ZWOT), Master of High Court’s office,Pensions Office, Registrar General’s Office and community leaders. Zimbabwe RepublicPolice (ZRP) is active in awareness campaigns on issues of will writing, inheritance,pension processing, birth and death registrations targeted to the police officers and theirfamilies. Counseling services are provided to widows, orphans and relatives of thedeceased. The vulnerability of widows and orphans in the police service has also beenexacerbated by an increase in deaths due to HIV and AIDS. This has necessitated foraggressive campaigns targeted at officers and their spouses and these are done inconjunction with camp hospital staff.The ZRP’s future plan centres around a new project called Police Survivors’ Association(POSA) which will be launched to address unfairness in the administration of thedeceased estates, facilitating medical schemes for widows and orphans and to empowerwidows to be self-supportive. The withdrawal of cases by widows and orphans as a resultof intimidation and also to avoid conflicts with family members is very common. In somecases, widows die of AIDS before their cases have been resolved. The ZRP has numerouscomplaints involving guardians who ill-treat orphans.7.4 The role of traditional leaders in protecting the property rights of widowsand orphans in Kenya: Peter Muteru, Assistant ChiefIn Kenya, the government abolished chiefdoms in 1978 and established provincialadministrators, which ran from 1978-2003. The provincial administrators were found tobe misleading to the public with a lot of authority vested in them. The government thenembarked on an education programme of provincial administrators and those passing thetest have been retained in the chiefdoms. The main responsibility of chiefdoms nowinvolves interaction with people and as such communities find it easy to come forassistance.The Assistant Chief’s responsibility is to make sure that law and order is maintained, lifeand property is preserved. The chief filters problems within the community as they comeand refer some to relevant departments that may include police, land tribunals and courts.The chief is entrusted with family issues by the courts introducing the real survivors ofthe deceased, issuing burial permits to the widow and children. The use of publiccompulsory assemblies every month creates a platform for educating the communityabout widows’ rights for example. This kind of work is done in collaboration withorganizations such as GROOTS Kenya.Despite the ongoing positive initiatives there are still challenges to be addressed; forexample, corruption prevails among some chiefs who demand payment for the servicesrendered. Lack of cooperation among men concerning will writing calls for greater20