THE ACTIVITIES OF - - „ cn’T ' « . ^ - v ADVENTIST (SDA) CH’JRCH AMONG :E ACCS 11 OF WESTERN KENYA 1912-1985 tJ V ■ * tiOUi A* CnscYs s — £3 to ”ns » s Vi* ra^'-gc 21— £”Cr” 3 (1 } . D cf A C-U3 £ s i — r r & ^ c UNIVERSITY OF I l i a D E C L A R A T I O N This is to certify that this Thesis is my original work and has not been presented in any other university. MARY N.S. GETUI This Thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as University Supervisors. Dr. R.M. GITHIGE (i) / TABLE OF CONTENTS PA Abstrac v Maps ............................................... viii Acknovledcements ..................................... xiii INTRODUCTION A. General background ....................... E . Literature Review ....................... C. Methodology ............................... < S 11 /-•. Origins, migrations ep1**^ T is***,, t..... 11 3. Relicious beliefs a: es 18 C. Svsten cf covermer.' 24 27 D . Internal and extern, •“• ju: ■ * • * 2, 23 T, Household cleanline 35 G. System cf education 29 y = ......... re *i c * .. 50 Death K 0erasions or rest (M (ii) * PAGE CHAPTER II: THE RISE AND ACTIVITIES OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST (SDA) CHURCH. 64 A * The rise of the Seventh-day Adventist Church ................... 64 £5 (i) The premise of early adventism .. <ii) Aftermath cf the unfulfilled nr crr.ise .......... ......... .......... 79 CO (iii) The need fer organization ........ B . The Activities of the Seventh-dav Adventist Church .... 57 (i) A - rr.' r. ■' st—s“icn ...................... 9$ * (ii) Hsclth ................................ * ^0 (iii) Education...................... . (iv) Asoects cf the Church .......... . . itt ■* ESTABLISHMENT, PROGRESS AND ADVEI Cm ((m . \ 0 W *. * wi-*. »/ attisane ay 20 .Adventist Church i n Qus:a .... (i) The laying cf the Seventh-dav Adver..tist roots a .30 Gusii ............. £ (ii) The progress cf t y o — g Adventist Church in o .E .a . . . . ( \ FACE B. Factors contributing to the procress of the Church ........... 153 (i) Historical factors ................ 154 (ii) Educational factors ............... 160 (iii) Health and hvgiene ................ 171 C iv) Literature and the colpcteurs ... 179 (v) Lav oarticioation .................. 165 (Vi) The annual cams meetine ......... 159 C. The rcle played by the Church in 195 national Development .............. CHAPTER IV: THE INFLUENCE OF AND UPON THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST (SDA) ^ * A CHURCH IN GUSH. r>v * The Seventh-day Adver.tist • "■f 1 no'if'p o'"* n V c ' ' — " ' ”U r £. I 224 practises ............................ * -“) Z (i) Influence cn initiation v......... *) V (ii) Influence cn marriage ............. / 7 (iii) Influence cn death rites ......... — r-~ t c1 *~ — ne * Ceventh-cav Adv e n n s r Cbur c n m 2-7 Gusii ................................. (i) Splits of protesiar.t background 133 v/estern Ker.va (iv) (ii) Splits in the Seventh-day Adventist Church outside Gusii .. u i (iii) The absence of splits in the Seventh-day Adventist Church ' in Gusii ............................ 260 (iv) Factors contributing to the unity c£ the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Gusii 4 / K ION V 295 (V) ABSTRACT Despite the long existence of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Kenya, few people have a proper understanding of its teachings and practices. This has resulted in members of the Seventh-day Adeventist Church being treated with suspicion. Gusii is one area where the Seventh-day Adventist Church has its largest following in Kenya. One wonders why this is so, and yet the initial response cf Abagusii to Adventism was generally negative. The Seventh-day Adventist approach to some cultural practices namely initiation, marriage and death has caused conflict in Gusii in that the Seventh-day Adventists have initiated and encouraged mere changes comp■area to other Christian groups there. Agar the Seventh-day Aeventists do not seem, to agree th e stand to take cn these issues. Despite the differences, the Seventh-day Adventist in Gusii has remained stable. This is peculiar because the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Gusii is pretestar.t and is stationed in western Kenya, the heme cf several crctestant oriented split churches. „n view cf the above problems., .this stucy arms at first cf all highlighting the traditional background cf Abagusii so that any changes arising as a result cf contact with the Seventh-dav Adventist teachings can" (Vi) be traced. The study also aims at tracing the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the background of some of the "odd" Seventh-day Adventist teachings and practices. The study also shows the establishment and progress of Seventh-day Adventist activities among Abagusii, pointing out the influence the Church has had in Gusii. The study further establishes the factor underlying the stability of the Seventh-day Adventist. Church in Gusii. The location of field work was mainly Gusii, but ether places likely to contain material on the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Gusii were also vi sited Data was collected using questionnaires and interv ews, the latter’s findincs were collected in notebooks and taoe records Librarv research was also con: ed The study's findincs included the following points. That the Seventh-day Adventist Church is misunderstood because of seme of its unique practices, and this is made worse because many members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are themselves not clear on the background of these practices. That despite these "odds" the Seventh-day Adventist Church has a large fcllovring in-Gusii because-of its concern for the general welfare of man in the society tnreugn crovicing services in the education and healon, among others. That through these services, the Seventh-cay Adventist Church is playing a significant role towarcs (vii) national development. That the growth and stability of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Gusii is owed to factors such as the approach of the early missionaries, the general conservative nature of Abagusii and the general lack of splits in other denominations in Gusii. It is hoped that this study brings out another of the many diverse understandings of Christianity, Even though the Seventh-day Advent ist Church has been on the Kenyan scene fcr quite a 1 ong time and has a sizeable following particularly in Gusii where it is playing a worthy role towards the general welfare of man, there is room for improvement. This is particularly so with regard to educating their members of the background of some cf their teachings. V'i rh a proper understanding from within, those outside m e Seventh—day Adventist fold will be in a better pcsitic to understand the Seventh-day ^Adventists so that their influence may be felt more in Kenya. (viii) >130 1