Rules of Intestacy

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RULES OF INTESTACY UNDER SUCCESSION ACT OF KENYA BY RITA SARINGI The Law of succession Act Cap 160 of the Laws of Kenya clearly provides for the rules of intestacy under Part V of the Act itself. Section 34 of the Act, clearly stipulates the meaning of intestacy and it states: “A person is deemed to be intestate in respect of all his property of which he has not made a will which is capable of taking effect.”From this we can infer that, intestacy can occur in three different scenarios. First, is where one dies without having made a will. Second, is where a will is made but is rendered invalid and thirdly, is where a person revokes the will and subsequently dies without having made another will. The rules of intestacy are of benefit to people who have a direct blood link with the intestate with an exception to the spouse. This section of the paper intends to deal with an instance whereby; an intestate person has one spouse and two children who are minors; with reference to the provisions under The Law of Succession Act Cap 160. Under Section 35(1) of the Act it is stipulated that, where an intestate has left one surviving spouse and a child or children, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to- a) The personal and household effects of the deceased absolutely, and b) A life interest in the whole residue of the net intestate estate. Personal and household effects are defined in section 3(1) of the Act to mean clothing, articles of personal use, furniture, utensils, appliances, pictures, ornaments, food, drinks and all other articles of household use and decoration normally associated with a matrimonial home, but it does not include anything connected with business or profession of the deceased. In the case of; In the Matter of the Estate of Anjuri (deceased) High Court Probate and Administration 357 of 1997, the deceased was survived by the wife and

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