TRAVELLING CUSTOMARY LAW: CULTURAL IDPS  AND INFORMAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS IN INFORMAL  SETTLEMENTS IN NAIROBI-KENYA

Most research on customary law are generally domiciled within rural spaces. This

article departs from this notion and explores the prevalence of customary law in

urban areas in Nairobi. It explores the nature of customary law and informal justice

systems in urban spaces and examines the underpinning factors that emerge from its

transmission from rural to urban informal settlements. Part one of this paper provides

the background for customary law and informal settlements. The second part explores

the study methodology. Part three examines the nature of informal justice in urban

informal settlements and maps out the actors, principles and modes of transmission of

customary laws from rural to urban areas. The section also explores how violators of

customary law in the rural areas often seek refuge in the urban informal settlements. The

paper concludes by revisiting the role of customary law in the proliferation of informal

settlements in urban areas and how ethnic cosmopolitanism in informal settlements

promote the cross-pollination of customary laws.