THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION IN KENYA: EXPANDINGEDUCATION THROUGH EVANGELIZATION

Abstract

The education sector in Kenya has gone through significant development processes. Thefoundation that nurtured its growth was laid down by the early Christian Missionaries whocombined the introduction of Christianity among the Africans with education. This earlyChristianity-educational nexus formed the important milestone for further participation ofthe church in the development of education in Kenya. Since then, it has continued tocontribute significantly in this direction. The objective of this paper is to find out the extentof the Church’s contribution in the development of education in Kenya and to assess itsimpact to the general expansion of education in the country. Using secondary data, the paper examines selected aspects of contributions the church has made in building a solidfoundation upon which the education sector in Kenya stands. Furthermore, it assesses thecentral role the Church plays by linking the development of long term physicalinfrastructure to the expansion and development of education. It also examines the use ofholistic education as a tool for the achievement of integrated development andstrengthening of religious education that supports the growth of positive values and faith assources of spirituality. It finally examines the role of the Church in the implementation ofthe Education Policy in partnership with the Ministry of Education in accordance with theEducation Act of 1968, to provide the necessary supervision and coordination of alleducation related activities. The study concludes that the Church has significantlycontributed to the development of education in Kenya and continues to play an importantrole in the provision and expansion of education through meaningful participation in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of education, parents and the schoolmanagement committees