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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Contemporary Social Issues: A definition and Classification .................................................................. 2
Political Contemporary Social Issues ...................................................................................................... 3
Economic Contemporary Social Issues ................................................................................................... 3
Civil Contemporary Social Problems ....................................................................................................... 4
Efforts to Cushion Contemporary Social Problems in Kenya .................................................................. 5
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................ 7



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Introduction
Viewing society through a Biblical lens in this day helps give a clearer understanding of the
root of all social problems; this root being the fall of man and consequently the staining of the
Human nature and broadly, society. Though these problems cannot be totally eliminated_ to
eliminate them would mean to either wipe out the human race or to cease human interaction_
efforts can be made to minimise them. This paper attempts to handle some major contemporary
social problems in Kenya by categorizing and stating some of them in context, elaborating on their
effects and finally highlighting on-going efforts by various institutions in the minimization of these
issues. It will also attempt to make some suggestions to the same effect. For reasons of space
however this will be restricted it light discussion.
Contemporary Social Issues: A definition and Classification
As Aristotle well said Man is by nature a social animal (Aristotle and Sinclair 1981). This
highlights an important point; that man is the essential player in society and cannot be separated
from it as it is his nature. Hence the term Contemporary social problems can be defined as the
challenges that create tension in societal relationships and undermine the well-being of a set of
individuals either physically, psychologically or spiritually within a certain time and area. Though this
is in some sense an ambiguous definition, it is worthy to note that all social issues are subjective.
This discussion will be in light of a Christian worldview.
There are various institutions that play a vital role in the well-being of society. Religious
institutions, government, corporate society and civil society are such examples. We cannot deny the
fact that inevitably, these are the same institutions that have either promoted or started the social
issues faced today. Today, with the complex nature of these social issues, it is hard to clearly
categorize them in a way that properly represents the key aspects of each problem faced in Kenya.
Taking each issue under an umbrella that covers the major cause of the issue seems to be most
appropriate, as it assists greatly in identifying and suggesting the best possible place to start in
minimalizing the issue _ which is the main aim of highlighting these problems. In Kenya, the
seemingly major categories, based on their influence upon the resulting issues are: Political, Civil and
Economic Contemporary Social issues. Based on this categorization, bundling up related issues, one
can see how there are links between problems and their geneses.
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Political Contemporary Social Issues
By far the devil in the detail of a fair share of Kenyas social problems in this century is the
political factor. Emerging from the British colonists and their governing tactics, the immediate post-
independence Kenyan government continued employing colonial governing systems which had
elitist tendencies at their core. Among the primary issues that took root because of this leadership
factor was negative ethnicity, as noted by Githu Muigai For most of the leaders. the ethnic group
remained the basis and the focus of political mobilization. (Berman, Eyoh, and Kymlicka ed. 2004,
200). By this, marginalization went a notch higher _from the colonialists divide and rule policy to
native on native suppression_ and so did the ethnocentric bias in the Kenyan people at that time.
National resources were seen to be directed towards the tribe(s) of those in leadership and so the
ordinary citizenry aligned themselves with those rulers of their tribe. This fostered the deep divide
that has degenerated into ethnic strife, hatred and even violence sparked by the test Kenya goes
through every five year cycle called General Elections.
The elitist and capitalist core of the governance system adopted also reared two substantial
issues that blight Kenyan society until today, what is known as the Land issue and also the corruption
culture. Since power was top-heavy, the settler land relinquished by the colonial masters was
irregularly redistributed to the natives by the national leadership on a more nepotistic and
friendship basis. The historical ownership of land was ignored (those displaced by the white settlers).
Until today, large tracts of land are owned by a select few while the masses either on meagre parcels
of land or become landless squatters and slum dwellers. Along with this a socioeconomic class
structure passed down. This ruling class obtained more and more resources for themselves in the
name of looking out for their communities. Accruing of these assets was hardly by lawful means;
consequently up to now corruption still remains the order of the day. Once practiced in the
influential leadership positions it has become a means of survival for ordinary citizen. As resources
are being embezzled in high places never reach their intended destination, they never get to achieve
true national development and the workforce succumbs to the pressure of growing living demands.
Economic Contemporary Social Issues
As a relatively young state in the developing world, Kenya has a number of economically
based social contemporary challenges some of which overlap with the political factors above
considered. The clamour for development and the partnerships formed with developed nations and
international organizations funding various development projects has accomplished much in the
micro rather than the macro view of the economy. Micro, being still the upper social class and a few
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pockets in those lower in the social order. A high percentage of Kenyas population is still struggling
in the survival bracket of less than $1.25 a day. As per the last Kenya Integrated Household Budget
Survey, done in 2005, the figure stood at 47%, this represents close to half of the population living
below the poverty line. In deed this is the main economic challenge of society today. Fuelled by the
political and now civil trend of corruption, coupled with the rising cost of living due to global
economic trends, poverty eluviation has become harder than ever. Brian Griffiths, while affirming
the complexity of the causes of this situation, lists some notable factors that have generally
contributed to the high poverty levels as he says, Weak domestic governance, misdirected policies,
corruption, and investment climate unconducive to growth have all played a part. (Heslam 2004,
17).
As a result of this, criminal activity is now higher than ever, as the economy hardly grows,
and the employment sector tethers itself to this slow moving train, the youth _who are most
affected_ turn to organised, fraudulent or violent crime to earn their living. This scarcity of resources
has overturned the concept of earning an honest living, creating a deeper moral issue. With this
poverty too has come high mortality rates both in children and adults. The healthcare sector has
been overwhelmed by the needs of the population because of both lack of adequate facilities and
workforce sufficiently trained to meet the demand. As we can see, economically based social, are
the proverbial Pandoras box; they are extremely complex in nature and have far reaching effects
on society, there are no quick fix solutions to minimalize these challenges.
Civil Contemporary Social Problems
A category of social issues that cuts across all types of social stratification is that of civil kind.
The term civil here used is poised to mean more moral aspects of society and the issues that have
sprung up from the basic societal foundations i.e. the family and community which is the more
relational aspect of public life. The civil society debate is vitally concerned with the extent and
quality of the social interaction, with relationships that build and sustain moral commitment and
character, and with the collective values that that implicitly or explicitly define us as a people.
(Wuthnow 1996, 2) explains Prof. Wuthnow.
Christianity and religion at large has been, to a large extent, the basis of personal moral
authority. In this post-modern age however, it has and is steadily losing its privilege to secularization.
Most issues of a civil nature are moral and ethical issues. Forming a link to other classes of social
issues we see that corruption, negative ethnicity and crime all tend to be basically moral issues.
Globalization of ideas and enlightened culture has led to an increasingly secular society. This has
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been guided by technological advances in communication and other sectors. These have mainly
been liberal ideals. One of the more recent debates has been the right to life arising from the
practice of abortion, with more than 465,000 thousand abortions procured in the year 2012 alone,
as reported by Incidence and Complications of Unsafe Abortions in Kenya: Key findings of a National
Study. Coming from the commercialization of sex and the argument that it is rightful outside
marriage. Even fresher in the minds of Kenyan society is that of marriage and divorce which has
adverse effects on the state of community family and on the health of posterity. Prostitution, though
still illegal in Kenya remains a contentious issue with the homosexual discussion creating waves in
the ethical and legal spheres of society, with drug abuse being a seemingly never ending problem_ a
means for individuals to escape the pressures of life. These problems have all together have
contributed much to the HIV/AIDS pandemic though efforts to minimalize it are bearing fruit. Many
of these problems come from the permeating lack of accountability of individuals and society to an
ethical and moral absolute outside themselves and the laws they have made. Finally the terrorism
challenge overshadows all at this point in time. Though putting on a more political face now,
terrorism at its root in Kenya has always been religiously motivated and done by fanatical adherents.
It is a difficult issue to counter because it strikes fear and a suspicious attitude in the citizens,
creating further divides in society. In the foreseeable future it is more likely to escalate than to
subside.
Contemporary social issues are quite numerous and composite in nature. As discussed,
these represent the pressing issues at this present time and are considered from a Christian
worldview. It would be unfair then to overlook any efforts made by institutions in Kenya _whether
formal or informal_ to mitigate these challenges. To gloss over these efforts would at the least give
an idea of how to proceed or not to proceed in this struggle.
Efforts to Cushion Contemporary Social Problems in Kenya
Hardly, does a day pass without a form of discussion or thought on social problems. The
willingness to provide solutions seems to be increasing day by day, though most of society stays
aloof of this responsibility.
Politically aided social problems, chief among them being negative ethnicity and governance
systems have been tackled in more informal than formal ways. Only recently, with the fairly green
Constitution of Kenya coming into effect in 2012 do we see a sense of tackling historical issues that
led to the deep chasms between ethnic entities. This is however more of patchwork than actual
treatment of the issue that lies in relations between each other. Getting communities to see each
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other as brothers under the umbrella of nationhood is the key, away from the . deliberate political
strategy by desperate groups intended to effect political change in the political system that
marginalizes them. (Tarimo and Manwelo 2009, 25), that often degenerates into ethnic violence. A
way to counter this is by knowing how to distinguish between that which belongs to the ethnic
group and that which belongs to the nation. (Tarimo and Manwelo 2009, 31). Governance systems
seem to be floating away from top-heavy authoritarian leadership to more devolved structures that
make the people own the country more, though this has a long way to go. Accountability is also
needed on matters of corruption and examples to be set to warn citizens of the consequences of
corruption.
The private sector and harambee mentality of the Kenya people is proving a big boost in
alleviating poverty. Middle and lower income Kenyans have begun forming chamas to help pull
resources together and invest in income generating projects. The government has also stepped up
and started revolving funds such as the Youth Fund to help the youth forge stable income generating
projects. Policies like 30% of government tenders being awarded to the youth have also been
enforced to bolster efforts in the economic sphere. Churches have not been left behind as some
offer small training on agri-business to those who want to get themselves out of the doldrums of
poverty.
Ethically, an area which has been largely considered the Churches area of influence, has
been neglected. In an examination of Martin Luther and his works, Cynthia Moe-Lobeda notes that
Luther identifies concrete and ancient practices through which the living Christ is proclaimed and
received becomes incarnate in the community of believers and there calls forth moral power to swim
upstream against powerful social forces., (Heslam 2004, 101),moreover,.Luthers theo-ethical
method, is to uncover vital insights into the roots of subversive moral spiritual power for resisting
neo-liberal globalization and forging more life-saving alternatives. (Heslam 2004, 101). Sadly, the
government and other institutions do not share the same ideals with the church anymore. Though
on issues such as HIV/AIDS successful programmes have been started and carry on today. The
church, though working on some areas such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) _by rescuing girls
and giving alternative initiation methods_ still has a great need to voice its concern through the
lifestyles of its members on issues concerning marriage and sexuality to uphold the family unit.
Looking at the state of society and its potential to get even worse, this calls for all Christians
to engage in all levels of society in minimalizing these according to the commandment to our cultural
mandate (Gen. 1:28).
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Bibliography
1. Aristotle, and T. A Sinclair. 1981. The politics. Harmondsworth, England; New York,
N.Y.: Penguin Books.
2. Berman, Bruce, Dickson Eyoh, and Will Kymlicka, eds. 2004. Ethnicity & Democracy in
Africa. Oxford: Athens: J. Currey; Ohio University Press.
3. Heslam, Peter S., ed. 2004. Globalization and the Good. Grand Rapids, Mich: William
B. Eerdmans Pub.
4. Tarimo, Aquiline, and Paulin Manwelo, eds. 2009. Ethnicity, Conflict, and the Future of
African States. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa.
5. Wuthnow, Robert. 1996. Christianity and Civil Society: The Contemporary Debate.
Valley Forge, Pa.: Trinity Press International.