The role of the church in the development of education in kenya: expanding education through evangelization

The education sector in Kenya has gone through significant development processes. The foundation that nurtured its growth was laid down by the early Christian Missionaries who combined the introduction of Christianity among the Africans with education. This early Christianity-educational nexus formed the important milestone for further participation of the church in the development of education in Kenya. Since then, it has continued to contribute significantly in this direction. The objective of this paper is to find out the extent of the Church’s contribution in the development of education in Kenya and to assess its impact 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 solid foundation upon which the education sector in Kenya stands. Furthermore, it assesses the central role the Church plays by linking the development of long term physical infrastructure to the expansion and development of education. It also examines the use of holistic education as a tool for the achievement of integrated development and strengthening of religious education that supports the growth of positive values and faith as sources of spirituality. It finally examines the role of the Church in the implementation of the Education Policy in partnership with the Ministry of Education in accordance with the Education Act of 1968, to provide the necessary supervision and coordination of all education related activities. The study concludes that the Church has significantly contributed to the development of education in Kenya and continues to play an important role in the provision and expansion of education through meaningful participation in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of education, parents and the school management committees