A HISTORY OF KALOLENI MISSION: ESTABLISHMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY TO THE GIRYAMA COMMUNITY BETWEEN 1904 AND 2004

Abstract

The history of the Church Missionary Society’s activities in Kaloleni within the Giryama community, is notably under documented. Missionary activities in Kaloleni among the Giryama community faced resistance from diverse dimensions including; the local people, prevalence of disease, cultural factors, lack of transport, Muslim predominance and the African Indigenous Religion (AIR) of the Agiryama which was constantly in friction with Christianity. The aim of this study was to explore the history and the establishment of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in Kaloleni, focusing on its development and influence to the Giryama community within Kilifi County. In writing this regional history of Christianity, the thesis considered, in particular, the period when the first missionaries arrived in Kaloleni in the year 1904 to the year 2004 when the local Christians organized a centenary celebration of the existence of the Anglican Church in the region. The study was guided by the mission and the incarnation theory to explain how the introduction of Christianity brought social, spiritual and economic advancement among the Giryama. The approaches used by the missionaries in spreading the Gospel to the Giryama people was also analysed. This is a historical study; it used both primary and secondary sources. Semi-structured oral interviews were used to gather data on the activities of the CMS within Kaloleni and its environs. The study documented the active involvement of the missionaries in spreading Christianity and planting new churches within Giryama land. This involvement resulted in the conversion of some of the Giryama people into Christianity hence the building of churches, schools, hospitals and vocational polytechnics. They were able to convince the Giryama people to accept Christianity, and, as a consequence, transformed their way of living and their belief system. The study found out that the missionaries in Kaloleni faced various challenges in their quest to spread Christianity. Among the challenges were hostility from the locals, language barriers, harsh climatic conditions, and their own superiority complex which vi were a major setback to the spread of Christianity. Nevertheless, these challenges did not completely hinder the missionaries from spreading the religion and faith. The introduction and establishment of Christianity among the Giryama people created a social conflict. This is because the Giryama people felt that Christianity eroded their cultural practices and traditions, hence their apparent rejection of the missionaries and this ‘newfound’ religion. The missionaries had to come up with ways to harmonize the Giryama culture and Christianity, in other words, incarnate the Gospel for them to succeed in their mission. Finally, the study found that the missionaries positively transformed the lives of the Giryama people in a, more or less, holistic manner. This is evident in the education they received which led to formal employment and a new religion, thus leading to improved living standards during and after the colonial administration.