The High Court of Kenya recently clarified rules for ancestral land burials, a common source of intense family disputes. This decision stemmed from a case involving Mburu Kinani, whose burial location was contested between his ancestral home in Gatanga, Murang’a County, and his adopted home in Gilgil where he lived for 40 years.

• The High Court overturned a magistrate's ruling, emphasizing the "test of proximity" to determine burial sites when wishes are unclear, focusing on where the deceased lived and had meaningful connections.
• Justice Helene Namisi ruled that customary law cannot override constitutional values like dignity and fairness.
• Mburu Kinani will be buried in Gilgil, next to his second wife, despite claims of ancestral tradition in Gatanga.