RELIGIONS AND EMERGING RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN KENYA By Eunice Karanja Kamaara, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya. eunkamaara@yahoo.

com Introduction Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Kenya Constitution right to religious freedom. Thankfully, religion is not a divisive issue in Kenya, and has had nothing to do with the sporadic outbreaks of 'ethnic violence' that have plagued the country since the early 1990s. http://www.bluegecko.org/kenya/contexts/kenyabeliefs.htm This is not true. The map of ethnicity in Kenya largely overlaps with the map of religions and denominations basically because as colonists scrambled for the best agricultural lands, missionaries scrambled for souls and of course land on which to build mission centres in which to effect civilization. Hence, religions, especially certain denominations in Christianity and Islam participate in politics as ethnic blocks making religions participators in ethnic violence.

African Traditional Religions According to the Kenya information Guide, many of the traditional African religions are no longer widely practiced1. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Traditional African religions are widely practiced all over Kenya except if one is thinking of traditional religion in liturgical sense in which case only about 10% of the total population of Kenyans adhere to traditional religions. Indeed, African Traditional Religions may no longer be practiced as it was in the 19th century but this dynamic characteristic is common is all religions: While ATR has changed over time to adopt and adapt other religious and secular practices ATR beliefs continue to affect the way people think and act even though they may not profess to be traditional African believers. In fact most Christian denominations have combined aspects of Christianity and traditional religious beliefs. Those which overtly acknowledge this move are referred to as African indigenous churches and may be exemplified by Dini ya Msambwa found mostly in Western Province of Kenya. While it is difficult to enumerate the number of adherents to traditional African religions, it is accurate to observe that most Kenyans who profess to other religions are significantly influenced by African Traditional Religionss. For this reason, it is necessary for anyone studying religions in Kenya to understand ATRs as this provide the foundation on which most other religions are based.

Hence we provide some detailed understanding of ATRs as a background information to religions in Kenya. This section presents traditional Kenyan religions, in this context referring to beliefs held in the country before the arrival of European missionaries and the spread of Christianity. Kenya is a heterogeneous community with forty two tribes and many sub-tribes, each of which had its unique traditional religion. While it is difficult to discuss Kenyan traditional religions because of this heterogeneity, for purposes of this presentation, we recognize certain common beliefs and practices across various traditional religions in Kenya, and in Africa as a whole, in order to discuss the religions in general. The important thing to remember is that religion in traditional African societies was a way of life to be lived, rather than a faith to be professed. It was integrated into all departments of life. Every person was considered religious and no distinction was made between what is sacred and what is secular, between what is holy and what is profane: every activity was religious. As J. S. Mbiti indicates, it could not be imagined that a person could live without religion because to be born was to be religious. To understand African Traditional Religions, it is essential to understand African worldview or African spirituality because this is what guides the peoples thinking and acting. Within the traditional African societies, this worldview was formulated and taught from generation to generation not through the written word but through oral traditions and lived experiences. The African worldview was precisely guided by what are referred to as the ultimate questions of human existence and so we focus on these: The questions of ultimate origin, ultimate purpose, and ultimate destiny. Please note that in traditional African societies, there is no distinction between culture and religion or between religion and spirituality. All beliefs and activities were integrated into a total way of life. Traditional societies/nations in Africa were characterized by a theocentric worldview founded on the acknowledgement of God as the ultimate designer, creator, sustainer, purpose and destiny of everything in the created order. Hence, there was no dichotomy between what is sacred and what is secular as every human activity was considered sacred. For traditional Africans, one cannot be spiritual without being religious and one cannot be religious without being spiritual; in fact as J.S. Mbiti observes, for traditional Africans, to live is to be religious. 2

The worldview was also anthropocentric in that the human person was recognized as the centre of creation and Gods steward under whom responsible management of the rest of the created elements directly lie. There was cultural and religious homogeneity within each autonomous state in traditional Africa each with clear socio-political governance, educational, health, ethical and recreational structures. Besides the general principles or worldview, each of these structures had clear guiding principles and objectives with a lot of emphasis on human rights for every individual person but in the context of community. In every aspect of life, the Utu ethos which recognizes human life as the highest value and healthy relationships between humans and God, among humans and between humans and the rest of creation was considered the goal of life and adhered to. The earth was acknowledged and respected as host and mother to all creation. At the risk of glorifying the past, we dare say that this worldview served the communities well and ensured that unity, justice and peace within each of the autonomous states prevailed and individual rights were respected in the context of community. Central to African traditional religions were relationships. Hence, according to African spirituality the ultimate purpose of life was relationships; relationships between Creator and created, and among the created. As designer, author, purpose and destiny of the created, the Creator determines relationships between the Creator and created and among the created. Therefore for the created to understand how to relate with the Creator and among themselves, the created need to know the will of God, more or less like we use manuals to effectively operate the products of human creativity such as radios, computers, and mobile phones. For the traditional Africans, the will of God was expressed in nature and was very easily understood to human persons who seek to understand it in humility and truth. Unhealthy relationships were easily identified in that they lead to anti life situations while healthy relationships promote life. The ultimate destiny of life is God who ensures perpetuation of life through healthy relationships from one generation to another through birth and rebirths. God maintains the cycle of life as human persons and all other creation transit form one stage in life to another; from pre-birth to birth to rebirth through death. All creation is designed to work together in unity and rhythm: when healthy relationships flourish among all creation, life is promoted for all creation and all creation rejoice together but when

there are unhealthy relationships, life is threatened and all creation suffer together. Life was therefore understood as unitary whole where individual elements of creation were understood as part of the whole creation as they are all interdependent. A systematic process of formulating and passing on this education existed basically in forms of rites of passage from pre birth to ancestor hood. In recognition of the difficulties of youth as a stage of human development characterized by identity and sexual crises, the rite or passage from initiation from childhood to adulthood marked one of the major levels of education. This rite was an elaborate process of intensive education with special emphasis on: i) The importance of maintaining the right relationships with Creator and among the created ii) The centrality of humans in Gods reign and of the earth as host and mother of all created elements ii) The concept and practice of rights and responsibilities with clear indication that all actions have consequences iii) The dignity of all human persons in the context of community and the need for self esteem and self worth Each of these values would have been introduced in the previous rites of passage (before the right of initiation to adulthood) and were buttressed in future rites of passage. The rite of initiation from childhood to adulthood was the specific moment when this central education for holistic life in community was intensively and very purposively instilled in individuals and every individual was thereafter held responsible for his thinking and acting. Chris Nwaka Egbulem identifies seven values or pillars of African life constituting the essence or core of African spirituality: 1) belief in the active presence of the creator God in the world; 2) a unified sense of reality; 3) identification of life as the ultimate gift from the creator; 4) emphasis on the family and community as the place to be born, live and die; 5) belief in the active role of ancestors; 6) reliance on oral tradition; and 7) a sense of the sacredness of nature and environment.3 This effectively summarizes the African worldview, traditional African religions.

Christianity

Christianity is perhaps the greatest of worlds religions in terms of numerical strength scattered in all corners of the world though perhaps not in terms of adherence to its teachings. In Kenya, it is estimated that about 65-70 % of the countrys population is Christian. Through out the ages, Europeans have taken Christianity as their possession and used it as a tool to establish and maintain their control and suppression over other races. Yet Christianity was in Africa long before the coming of the Christian influence or missionaries of the 15th and 19th centuries respectively. The history of Christianity dates back to the Pentecost event where the apostles assembled to await the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus Christ. (Acts 12 presents the birth of the Christian movement after the death and resurrection of Jesus). In his last words, Jesus mandated the apostles to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:7-8). Then there was the succession question with regard to the position of Judas, then Acts 2-8 is on Christianity in Jerusalem, acts 8-12 is on Christianity outside Jerusalem but within Palestine, and Acts 12-18 begins with the Pentecost Event which marks the spread of Christianity outside Palestine throughout the then known world. Among the first places of the end of the world where Christianity spread within the early times is Africa: the first seeds of Christianity were sown in present day North Africa within the first centuries of the faith. Moreover, initial evangelization work lay significantly in the hands of Africans. If this be the case, then it seems that writers of Christian history may consciously or unconsciously have omitted and probably added certain facts to support their understanding of Christianity as a European religion. There is need to correct this impression. A few African scholars have endeavored to meet this need. According to J.S. Mbiti, for example, Christianity in Africa is so old that it can rightly be described as an indigenous, traditional and African religion4. Another example may be given of John Baur who has written the book, Two Thousand Years of Christianity in Africa. 5 There are numerous evidences to support these allegations. These include relevance of Africa to Judaism to, secular and religious oral histories, and biblical evidences. Relevance of Africa to Judaism - The resemblance of African culture to Jewish culture e.g. widow inheritance, male circumcision, polygamy, levitical laws e.g. on cleansing ceremonies, religious rites, covenantal models, etc.

- The role of Egypt in the salvation history - Abraham, the Christian ancestor by faith, Jewish blood ancestor moved from Haran, to Ur, in present day, Egypt to the Promised land (Gen. 12). Moses, was brought up in an Egyptian palace (Ex. 2) - Numerous mention of Egypt, Nubia (present day Sudan) and Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in the OT. Secular and oral religious histories There are secular and religious oral histories supporting the view that Christianity was in Africa long before the coming of Christian missionaries. - The legend of Queen Makeda, a historical figure from Ethiopia, who visited King Solomon, and had a sexual relationship with him. The product of this union was a son called Menelik. Menelik I is the ancestor of Haile Selassie the great Ethiopian Emperor, the King of the Rastafarian. - The legend of St. John-Mark. John-Mark is said to be the writer of the gospel of Mark. He was a cousin to Barnabbas, and a companion to Paul. There is an oral story of how John-mark took the Christianity to Egypt. Eusebius, a great Church historian, accepted this legend. 2.3 Biblical and other Written Evidences - St. Mathew (2:13f) asserts that Jesus parents went to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. - During the Pentecost, there were Africans from Libya, Egypt, Parthia and Mede (Acts 2). These must have taken the gospel back home after the event. - Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross of Jesus (Lk. 23:26) was a Jewish settler from present day Libya. Parrinder the historian supports this view. Other Jews from Cyrene are mentioned throughout the acts of the Apostles - Apollos the Alexandrian Christian who is said to have reached Ephesus before Paul (Acts18:24) - The Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in Acts 8:26-40 was an officer at the palace at Candanca (Kandake) in Egypt Other records such as The African synod (1995) say he was a treasurer of the Queen of Ethiopia. He is said to have been from the Kingdom of Meroe, a region between Aswan and Khartoum. He was reading the Bible, probably the Septuagint, the original Greek Bible. - Historians record one Frumentius, a business man from Tyre who sued to go to the Far East through Red Sea. One day on reaching a port near Abyssinia with 2 friends, they were attacked by robbers. One of the

friends died. Frumetius and the other friend were taken to work in the Kings palace as slaves. Frumentius proved of good conduct and was made Secretary to the King. He convinced the King and built churches, went to Alexandria for priests, ordained bishop, came back to establish church in Abyssinia. - In the Early 1200s, an Arab visitor spoke of 7 dioceses and many monasteries in Nubia (present day Sudan). - Ethiopias dark ages (640 -1270) marked by advent of Islam (Arabic invasion) coincides with the Fall of Solomons dynastic rule. When the first followers of Mohammed were persecuted, they sought refuge in Ethiopia and are said to have forbade jihad against Ethiopians who they described as a humble people of priests and monks. - 1270-1550 the Classical age of Ethiopian Christianity coincides with the restoration of the Solomonic dynasty. Christianity was imposed as national faith and the Emperor became the de facto head of state, monasticism was reformed, observance of Sabbath revived, and newly conquered provinces were evangelized. Christian marriage was established and the classical features of Ethiopian Christianity (inculturation of Christianity and Amharic culture such as animal sacrifice and cleansing rituals and laws were introduced.) - Egypt played a significant role in preserving Christianity and developing it to become a worlds religion: - Original OT Greek Bible )Septuagint) was translated in Alexandria - Jackson-Foakes among other historians indicate how Alexandrian Jews sought to prove the honour in which the sacred books were held by the first Greek Kings of Egypt. -The discovery of papyrus fragments in the 2nd Century up the Nile valley indicate early spread of the mission. The Early Church was not only prevalent in North Africa but it was actually shaped in the continent. - The earliest records of monastic living are traced to the Nile valley to two men called Pachomius and Antony who founded a monastery in Thebais. Today history erroneously traces monastic living to Basil and Benedict (Europeans) but these people inherited their hermitic patterns from early African hermits. - Alexandria, the Jewish capital in the west was Egyptian. This, was the location of the first school of theology. Catechitical school of Alexandria. Some of the early Church fathers e.g. Origen, Clement, Cyril, Athanasius, Tertullian, were Africans who went through the Catechitical School of Alexandria.

- Great thinkers/philosophers influenced Christian doctrine. Philo, the great Christian Philosopher and Platonist, who introduced the doctrine of logos, was from the Alexandrian school in Africa. So were Basilides, Carpocrates, Valentinus and Marcion among others. - Most renowned of all theologians, St. Augustine of Hippo, was born in Tagaste, a town in present day Egypt. Augustine continues to influence Christian thought, and doctrine. E.g. the anti-contraception rule by the RCC. - The first Christian martyrs were Africans. E.g. 7 men and 5 women killed in Egypt in 180 AD, Cyprian of Carthage martyred in 258 AD and Origens father martyred in 264 AD. Many other Africans suffered and died under the Diocletian persecutiosn for Christs sake. Moreover, early church heresies which helped in the shaping of Christianity began around Egypt. For example, Gnosticism- fundamentally based on Greek philosophy is a heresy that continues to have effect in the development of Christian teachings. On Tuesday Oct. 5 1993, Pope John Paul II released an encyclical, Veritatis Splendour. In this letter there are traits of warnings against gnosticism. - Great women theologians and saints were Africans e.g Perpetua, Felicitas, Monica and Thecla. If these oral and written records are correct, then Christianity is an African religion. This implies that Africa has a special place in the Church history and also in the history of humanity. John Baur indicates that there are three phases of Christianity in Africa Phase I- Early Church Phase II 15th C Christian Missions from Portugal Phase 3 19th Century Christian Missions (Generally given prominence by European writers.) Among the major factors contributing to the fast and wide spread of Christianity in Africa in the 19th century is Christianitys conformity with African culture- Christian values are African values- hospitality, love, unity, charity etc. Differences are only in the ways of expressing these. Ironically, missionaries asked Africans to abandon their culture as a prerequisite to joining Christianity. The missionaries missed the basic truth that Christianity is best expressed for Africa when founded on African culture. The results of the missionary error are Christianity is many kilometers long but a few inches deep. Indeed, there is a lot of discrepancy between faith and practice. Schisms AIC emergence

But Africans realized early that there is no need of crying over spilt milk. There is need to analyze the relationship between religion and culture and look for ways of making Christianity a way of life. Emasculate it of western culture and cloth it with African cultures. In analyzing the problem of discrepancy between faith and practice, some African theologians realized the need to found religion on African culture without necessarily having schisms. Whenever two cultures meet, the inevitable happens: Either assimilation (one is swallowed the inferior) or adaptation (equal standing). Europeans attempted assimilation but it did not work. African theologians have come up with proposals for adaptation of Christianity in African culture. The process began with indigenization make Christianity indigenous to African culture. Later Africanization of Christianity that is, contextualization of Christianity to make it suitable for Africans today. Then inculturation picking the best out of traditional and modern African cultures and integrating into Christianity. Successes in adaptation include: Incorporation of traditional values in liturgy e.g. use of drums, African cloth, teaching African values, African value for family as realize din small Christian communities, etc. The African Bible is a product of such endeavors.6 Today, the main Christian denomination in Kenya is the Protestant Church with about 38- 45% of the country's population. Within this Church is the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, the Baptist and the Reformed Church. The next denomination is Roman Catholicism with about 28-33% of the total national population. Besides these denominations, there are a host of Pentecostal churches some of which are indigenous, African independent churches, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Quakers, and the Salvation Army. Emerging churches in Kenya include Charismatic churches such as Jesus Is Alive Ministries founded by Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, the Deliverance Church, Kuna Nuru Gizani (literally translated it means there is light in darkness) associated with Pastor Pius Muiru, among others. An interesting perspective in the emerging churches is the role of women. Most emerging Christian churches are led by women.

Islam in Kenya The other major religion in Kenya is Islam with its two branches of the Sunni and Shiite Muslims. The exact population of Muslims in Kenya is not clear but it is estimated that Muslims comprises about 10-25% of the Kenyan population. Most of this population is concentrated either in the Coastal province or in the North Eastern province of Kenya. Nairobi too has a significant number of Muslims and so do some pockets of Western region of Kenya. The Kenya constitution recognizes shariah and the Islamic kadhi courts but only on civil law such as family matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance. One of the controversial issues in the review of the Kenya constitution is the question of kadhi courts whereby some Kenyans think that recognition of sharia by the Kenya constitution is favoring one religion yet, Kenya is supposedly a secular a state, the controversy of what constitutes a secular or religious state notwithstanding. Is the United States, with all its reference to God Bless the US, a secular or a religious state? . Some tension exist Christians and Muslims especially in North Eastern Kenya. Politically, the Muslims feel marginalized because of their minority status n political leadership. When Kenya adopted multiparty politics in 1992, Muslims attempted to rally themselves together for political expediency by forming the Islamic Party of Kenya, the only party formed along religious lines but this was denied registration because of its religious inclinations. Since the August 1998 bombing to the United States embassy in Nairobi (popularly referred to as 9/11) Muslims complain of government mistreatment and marginalization as they are treated like security concerns. Other religions Other religions in Kenya include Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Bahai, among others. Most of the adherents of these oriental religions are Indians who originally came to Kenya during the colonial times and precolonial times as cheap labor especially during the building of the Lunatic Express otherwise referred to as the Kenya-Uganda Railway. Most of these reside in most major towns and cities across Kenya.

Emerging Religious Movements in Kenya

In response to socio-political, economic and spiritual situations in postcolonial Kenya in a global context, a number of religions are emerging. Some are based on the desire to uphold African values while others are breaking away from what they consider as imperialistic and dogmatic traditions. In this section, we present two cases to illustrate emerging religious movements in Kenya.

The Reformed Catholic Church Kenya has made international news with the break away of some Roman Catholic priests from universal Catholicism to form the Reformed Catholic Church. Earlier this year, Fr. Simiyu was consecrated first bjshop of this emerging catholicism by an American Bishop of the Reformed Catholic Church. ArchBishop Milingo, the famous Roman Catholic priest who was the first African Roman Catholic clergy to publicly break ranks with Vatican over celibacy of priests and over spiritual gifts. Milingo holds faith healing sessions against the Roman Catholics stance on spiritual gifts.. He married a Korean at one of Rev Moons mass weddings. Milingo will be coming to Kenya later this year. Mungiki Mungiki is a politico-religious movement was reportedly formed in the 1980s as a secretive group of Gikuyu youths. The group seems to rebel against Christianity and other modernization forces that alienated the Gikuyu form their land and freedom including the right to name. The word Mungiki is derived from the Gikuyu reference to a multitude and the idea is to rally the Gikuyu people together towards unity and fighting for their rights. Different sources have different explanations as to how and why the movement was formed. For some, Mugniki is designed to continue with the Mau Mau agenda of fighting for land and freedom in recognition that freedom has never been won. Other sources argue that Mungiki began as a local militia in the former white highlands to protect Kikuyu farmers in disputes over land. This is probably because the Mungiki became popular after the 1992 ethnic clashes. Yet for others, Mungiki is a response by young people to socio-economic and political frustrations with the ruling class. Such youth challenges as unemployment and general social neglect leaves young people frustrated and disillusioned. So they seek to establish parallel government with their own rules and regulations.

The Mungiki has especially infiltrated the business industry (particularly the transport one). They exhort money (taxes) from business people for protection and permission to run businesses and are mostly found in informal settlements and low income urban estates. Mungiki advocates for return to indigenous African traditions. Members sniff tobacco, leave their hair uncut, and often enforce such traditional practices as female circumcision. At one point, Mungiki terrorized any women found wearing trousers claiming that this is not African.

Although Mungiki is officially banned in Kenya, the movement continues to thrive especially because political leaders find them useful especially in terrorizing their opponents. Occasionally, members of Mungiki clash with the public with tragic results. For example on the 9th of December 2000, some members of Mungiki raided Kiang'ombe slums in Thika town and when they left, over 12 houses were burnt to the ground. Earlier this year, Mungiki killed over 14 people in Kirinyaga district claiming that young people in the area had terrorized their members.

Conclusion Kenya is notoriously religious but in a very confused way: As in politics and economics, religion in post colonial Kenya is characterized by a mixture of both modern and traditional practices. The major characteristic is an attempt to make a break with colonial past even as Kenyans struggle to keep abreast with a globalized world. As in other areas, gender relations in religion indicate a struggle by women to free themselves from

patriarchal religious beliefs and practices such as those of the Roman Catholic Church where women participate quantitatively but not qualitatively. One of the major characteristics of emerging Pentecostal churches is the leading place of women as founders of the Church. Bishop Margaret Wanjiru who is the founder and leader of Jesus is Alive Ministries is a good example. But the struggle for gender seems as complicated as the struggle against imperialism.
1

http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/kenya-religion.html, Accessed on 14th June 2009. 2 J.S. Mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy. (Nairobi: Heinemann, 1969) 3 Chris Nwaka Egbulem, African Spirituality, in The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality, ed. Michael Downey (Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 1995), 17-21. 4 J.S. Mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy. (Nairobi: Heinemann, 1969) 5 John Baur, 2000 Years of Christianity in Africa 6 The African Bible, Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 1999.