Nairobi, April 28 -- When Anne* discovered that the land she had helped her husband pay for was registered in her mother-in-law's name, the shock was immediate. What she had believed to be a shared investment within their marriage had, on paper, nothing to do with her, or even her husband.

Family lawyers say this situation is more common than many Kenyans realise. And while such arrangements may appear legally airtight, experts argue that they do not automatically erase a spouse's rights.

According to Eric Theuri, former president of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the starting point in such disputes is contribution.

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