When someone dies in Kenya: what the family needs to do

The paperwork after a death, in the order families usually need it. Take it one step at a time.

Your checklist. Tick things off as you go; it's saved on this phone only.

1. 1. Needed before the burial. Get a burial permit after a death You need a burial permit before any burial or cremation. Take the doctor's death record (two copies) to the Registrar of Deaths, who issues the permit; keep it, because you need its number for the death certificate.
2. 2. Almost every next step asks for it. Get a death certificate (including late registration of a death) Apply for the death certificate on eCitizen, at any sub-county civil registration office or at a Huduma Centre, using the burial permit and your own ID. The certificate costs KSh 200.
3. 3. To deal with the estate: land, accounts and property. Apply for succession after a death (letters of administration or grant of probate) Get the death certificate and a letter from the area chief, then file a petition (Form P&A 80 if there was no will, P&A 78 if there was one) at the court where the person lived or was buried. After a 30-day notice in the Kenya Gazette you get the grant, and 6 months later you apply to confirm it before sharing out the property.
4. 4. Survivors' benefits, if they were a member. Claim NSSF benefits (retirement, invalidity, survivors, emigration) Take your NSSF card, ID and the documents for your benefit (like a retirement or termination letter and bank details) to your nearest NSSF branch, fill in the form there and submit it in person. It's free, and age or withdrawal benefits take about 10 working days.
5. 5. Check for money left in old accounts. Find and claim unclaimed money or assets (UFAA) Search for your name by dialling *361# or on UFAA's Find & Claim portal. If something is there, fill in the right claim form plus the indemnity form, have them commissioned by a lawyer, and lodge the claim online, at a Huduma Centre or at UFAA's office. Claiming is free.
6. 6. Moving land into the heirs' names comes after succession. Transfer land to a buyer after a sale Your advocate starts the transfer on Ardhisasa, buyer and seller confirm and sign it from their own Ardhisasa accounts, stamp duty is assessed and paid, and the registrar registers the land in the buyer's name. For agricultural land in a land control area, get Land Control Board consent first.