Legal development cooperation increasingly emphasizes that legal empowerment can
only be achieved when reforms incorporate customary justice systems. This brings to the
fore pertinent questions regarding the alignment of these systems with human rights
standards. A typical concern is that customary justice systems often lack gender equality.
The dominance of men in all three interwoven domains of customary rule — leadership,
dispute settlement and normative content — raises questions on how the inclusion of
women in customary structures of administrative and judicial decision-making might be
facilitated, and how customary norms can be modified so that they better protect women
and their livelihoods. To gain insight into these questions, this chapter explores a range
of activities undertaken by the Traditional Authority of Uukwambi in northern Namibia to
eliminate the severe gender inequality inherent in its system of customary justice and
administration. These activities include the installation of women traditional leaders, the
promotion of women’s active participation in traditional court meetings, and the
modification of customary norms that were detrimental to the position of women. The
research data collected indicates that these steps led to certain positive changes in
customary practice, including the near complete eradication of ‘property grabbing’ and
increased participation of women in traditional courts. Although the shift in mindsets
needed for gender equality is still incomplete, the initiatives undertaken have enhanced
the fairness and equity of traditional rule and customary dispute settlement.