“My name will be written on this land”

Rebecca Ogalo

Kisumu County, Kenya

When she was widowed at age 24 in 2000, Rebecca Ogalo’s first concern was for her son, Huntington, then age 8. Without the income from her late husband, Charles, she feared she wouldn’t have the means to pay for Huntington’s school fees.

“My only worry was about my child and how I might take him to school. I was always worried about his education,” she says.

She had her two acres of land, left by her husband, in Kenya’s Kisumu County, where she grew maize and beans. When work on her own farm was slow, Rebecca would take odd jobs as a laborer on neighboring farms.

She resolved to commit herself fully to Huntington’s education – as she described it, she would be “married” to school. That commitment was ultimately successful, despite many hardships, as she saw Huntington complete his high school education.

Rebecca’s other fear during those days was for her land. When Charles died, the household didn’t have title, or any documentation for Rebecca to initiate an inheritance claim.

“I always questioned myself, that if someone came and pushed me off, I had no legal claim. I don’t have any papers or documentation to originate my claim,” Rebecca says.

In 2024, Rebecca heard that Landesa was organizing a land clinic in her village, as part of a program to provide paralegal services for households with land and inheritance cases. Widows like Rebecca are a key constituent for the program, as they often encounter discrimination in matters of land and inheritance rights.

Because she had no paperwork to support her claim, Rebecca believed her case was helpless, but she said she took the courage to show up, anyway. Her fears seemed to be confirmed when she saw the many other attendees at the clinic, carrying envelopes and folders stuffed with documents.

“I saw people showing up with files, files, files. I came with my empty hands,” Rebecca says. “Me, I have nothing, but I went anyhow.”

She explained her case and left her phone number with a Landesa paralegal, who promised to follow up. Rebecca expected that to be the end of it.

To her surprise, a few weeks later she received a phone call. After verifying a few details about Rebecca’s case, Landesa was able to locate the records and documentation related to her land, held at the local land authority office. With those documents, we were able to start the succession process, which will culminate with Rebecca receiving title to her land, in her name.

While she waits for her case to process, Rebecca feels relief and a new sense of security.

“I have a lot of hope that this land will be mine, that my name will be written on this land – that I’ll have credibility, and that no one can push me off this land,” she says.

For her son, Rebecca is happy that the land title will secure his inheritance. For herself, it means something else – freedom from worry.

“After getting my certificate, I see a free future, knowing that I’m liberated – that this land is mine. That is the future that I see.”