No. 2456
Act No. 25, 2000

Government Gazette 22 December 2000

13

TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES ACT, 2000

clans which share a common ancestry, language, cultural heritage, customs
and traditions, who recognises a common traditional authority and inhabits a
common communal area, and may include the members of that traditional
community residing outside the common communal area;
“Traditional Council” means a Traditional Council established by section 9;
“traditional Councillor” means a councillor of a traditional community
appointed or elected in accordance with section 10; and
“traditional leader” means a chief, a head of a traditional community, a senior
traditional councillor, or a traditional councillor designated and recognized or
appointed or elected, as the case may be, in accordance with this Act, and by
whatever traditional title named.
Establishment of traditional authorities
2. (1) Subject to this Act, every traditional community may establish
for such community a traditional authority consisting of(a) the chief or head of that traditional community, designated and
recognized in accordance with this Act; and
(b) senior traditional councillors and traditional councillors appointed
or elected in accordance with this Act.
(2) A traditional authority shall in the exercise of its powers and the
execution of its duties and functions have jurisdiction over the members of the
traditional community in respect of which it has been established.
Powers, duties and functions of traditional authorities and members
thereof
3. (1) Subject to section 16, the functions of a traditional authority, in
relation to the traditional community which it leads, shall be to promote peace
and welfare amongst the members of that community, supervise and ensure the
observance of the customary law of that community by its members, and in
particular to (a) ascertain the customary law applicable in that traditional
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