Contentious jurisdiction: The Kenyan Kadhis’ courts and their application of the Islamic law of custody and maintenance of wives and children

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Pages: 93-119
• Published date: 30 October 2020
• Date: 30 October 2020
• Author: Mujuzi, J.D.

93

CONTENTIOUS JURISDICTION: THE KENYAN

KADHIS’ COURTS AND THEIR APPLICATION

OF THE ISLAMIC LAW OF CUSTODY AND

MAINTENANCE OF WIVES AND CHILDREN

Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi*

Abstract

Article 170(5) of the Constitution of Kenya provides that ‘[t]he jurisdiction of

a Kadhis’ court shall be limited to the determination of questions of Muslim law

relating to personal status, marriage, divorce or inheritance in proceedings in which

all the parties profess the Muslim religion and submit to the jurisdiction of the

Kadhi’s courts.’ A provision to the same effect is also included in s 5 of the Kadhis’

Courts Act. It is clear that the Kadhis’ Courts have jurisdiction over marriage,

divorce and inheritance and they have handed down many judgments dealing

with these issues. Neither art 170(5) of the Constitution nor s 5 of the Kadhis’

Courts Act expressly permit or prohibit these courts from dealing with custody

and maintenance matters. This approach is different from the one taken in other

African countries such as Tanzania (Zanzibar) and Uganda, where the issues of

custody and maintenance are expressly mentioned in the law on Kadhis’ Courts.

As a result, there are conflicting decisions from the Kenyan Kadhis’ Courts and

the High Court on the issue of whether the Kadhis’ Courts have jurisdiction

over custody and maintenance matters. In this article, I illustrate how the Kadhis’

Courts and the High Court have dealt with the issues of custody and maintenance

in Islamic law and I refer to Kenyan case law and the drafting history of art

170(5) to argue that the Kadhis’ Courts do not have jurisdiction over custody and

maintenance issues. I rely on legislation and practice from other African countries to

suggest ways in which the issue of the jurisdiction of the Kenyan Kadhis’ Courts

in relation to custody and maintenance could be addressed.

Keywords: Kenya; Kadhis’ Courts; Islamic law; maintenance; custody;

divorce; Muslim law; jurisdiction

Résumé

L’article 170 (5) de la Constitution du Kenya prévoit que « [l] a compétence d’un

Tribunal de Cadi se limite à la détermination des questions de droit musulman relatives

au statut personnel, au mariage, au divorce ou à l’héritage dans les procédures dans

lesquelles les partis professent la religion musulmane et se soumettent à la juridiction

des Tribunaux de Cadi. » Une disposition dans le même sens figure également à

l’article 5 de la Loi sur les Tribunaux Cadi. Il est clair que les Tribunaux de Cadi sont

compétents en matière de mariage, de divorce et d’héritage et ils ont rendu de nombreux

jugements sur ces questions. Ni l’article 170 (5) de la Constitution ni l’article 5

* Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Email:

djmujuzi@gmail.com

(2020) 7(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 93

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94 JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE LAW IN AFRICA VOL 7, NO 1, 2020

de la Loi sur les Tribunaux de Cadi ne permettent ou interdisent expressément à ces

tribunaux de traiter des questions de garde et de pension alimentaire. Cette approche est

différente de celle adoptée dans d’autres pays africains tels que la Tanzanie (Zanzibar)

et l’Ouganda, où les questions de garde et de pension alimentaire sont expressément

mentionnées dans la Loi sur les Tribunaux de Cadi. En conséquence, il existe des

décisions contradictoires émanent des Tribunaux kényans de Cadi et de la Haute Cour

sur la question de savoir si les Tribunaux de Cadi sont compétents pour les questions

de garde et de pension alimentaire. Dans cet article, l’auteur illustre comment les

Tribunaux de Cadi et la Haute Cour ont traité les questions de garde et de pension

alimentaire en droit islamique et se réfère à la jurisprudence kenyane et à l’historique

de rédaction de l’article 170 (5) pour argumenter que le Tribunal de Cadi n’a pas

compétence sur les questions de garde et de pension alimentaire. L’auteur s’appuie sur

la législation et la pratique d’autres pays africains pour suggérer des moyens de régler

la question de la compétence des Tribunaux kenyans de Cadi en matière de garde et

de pension alimentaire.

Mots-clés: Kenya; Tribunaux de Cadi; Droit islamique; pension alimentaire;

garde; divorce; Droit musulman; juridiction

Introduction

The jurisdiction of Kadhis’ Courts has been provided for by the

Constitution since Kenya became independent. However, the institution

of a Kadhi was known in East Africa even before independence.1 Article

179 of the 1963 Kenyan Constitution (the Independence Constitution)

established the Kadhis’ Courts and empowered Parliament to enact

legislation to regulate these courts. Article 179(5) of the same Constitution

provided for the jurisdiction of these courts, stating that ‘[t]he jurisdiction

of a court of a Kadhi shall extend to the determination of questions of

Muslim law relating to personal status, marriage, divorce or inheritance

in proceedings in which all the parties profess the Muslim religion.’ In

1967, the Kadhis’ Courts Act2 was enacted and it provided for, inter alia,

the jurisdiction of the Kadhis’ Courts as provided for in the Constitution.

Subsequent Kenyan Constitutions retained the jurisdiction of the Kadhis’

courts. One issue that arose during the making of the 2010 Constitution

was the Kadhis’ Courts. Although many Christian organisations opposed

the inclusion of a provision on the Kadhis’ Courts in the new constitution,

1 In Fazleabbas Mohammed Chandoo v A I Hussein - Kadhi, Kadhi’s Court and 4 Others [2015]

eKLR paras 1–2, the High Court observed that ‘[t]he Kadhi’s Court as an institution of dispute

resolution has been in existence since the early 19th Century along the East African coastal line

... In Kenya, the existence of the Kadhis’ Courts may be traced to just after the middle of the 20th

Century when letters exchanged between the then Prime Minister of Kenya the late Jomo Kenyatta

and the Prime Minister of Zanzibar in 1963 reveal a deal having been struck to have Kadhis’ Courts

continue to operate in Kenya along the 10 mile coastal strip.’

2 Chapter 11.

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