1.

Discuss the establishment and development of the formal western education in Kenya upto 1920,
in the light of role played by

a) European missionaries
b) Government officials
c) Africans in Kenya
Introduction.

Missionaries introduced Western education in Kenya. The partition of Africa in 1884 established British
rule in Kenya and led to an increase of Christian missionaries. As the missionaries established themselves
on the mainland, they started schools as a means of converting Africans to Christianity.

a. European missionaries.

Missionary activity and missionary education.

Missionaries are founders of modern western education in Kenya. The first Christian missionaries to
come to Africa were Portuguese who first came in East Africa and worked at coast of Kenya and worked
at 16th and 17th.They abolished slave trade and in 1874 they settled central schools, elementary schools
and industrial training. By 1880’Sthe School had over 300 students who were trained Christianity? The
Roman Catholics (1890) established stations in Mombasa. Later the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) set up
missions at Kamugambo and Nyanchwa (1902).Their main objective was to evangelize African people
and believed schools would enable Africans to read and understand the bible.

Missionaries introduced Western education in Kenya. The first missionaries to settle on the East African
coast were Portuguese Roman Catholics. By 1557 they had established monasteries at Mombasa and
Lamu, Kenyan coastal towns.

The second wave of Christian missionaries included the Lutherans, who were sent to Kenya through the
Church Missionary Society (CMS). Among these were Johann Ludwig Krapf, Johann Rebman, and Jacob
Erhadt.

The partition of Africa in 1884 established British rule in Kenya and led to an increase of Christian
missionaries. As the missionaries established themselves on the mainland, they started schools as a means
of converting Africans to Christianity. Their acceptance was somewhat due to the fact that they used the
schools as a means of rehabilitating slaves who were returned after having been captured by Arabs.

In 1908, the missionaries formed a joint committee on education that later became the Missionary Board
of Education, representing all the Protestant missions in the British protectorate. In 1909 the British
government established an education board with Henry Scott of the Church of Scotland serving as the
chair. The establishment of the education board occurred at the same time that the Fraser and Giroud
Commissions were put in place. These commissions called for racial consideration in developing the
British protectorate. The recommendations included a push for industrial development, technical
education, and the teaching of religion as a moral foundation.

Contributions made by the early Christian missionaries in the field of education in Kenya

 They set up schools/encouraged Africans to go to school.

  They taught Africans how to read/write.
 They taught Africans vocational skills.
 They translated the Bible into African languages.
 They wrote books/dictionary.

b.The role played by Government official

Government involvement in education

By 20th Kenya ended up with two migrate groups that largely came to direct the system of education i.e.
Asian laborers who came for railway construction and European settlers .Up to1910, education in Kenya
was in the hands of the missionaries. Missionary- government cooperation led to formation of joint
committee on education by the CMS in 1908 to discuss common problems in education.

The Fraser Report of 1909.

The commission was mandated to carry out survey on education within the British East Africa
protectorate and advise on the organization and type of education to be given to various racial groups.
The implementation of the Fraser commission report led to establishment of education in 1911 to regulate
educational activities in the colony. James R Ore was introduced first director of education .The
department also led to expansions of schools by District Officer in Kitui 1909 and establishment of
Ukamba native school, Machakos (1913)

C.The role played by Africans in Kenya.

Settlers were in fear that missionaries were not providing Africans with education that would address the
needs, this led to appointment of East Africa protectorate education commission1918.The commission
recommended on views that based on both settlers and missionaries. The commission recommended that:
Government should subsidize mission with students at technical schools.

Content of African curriculum to continue on technical lines.

Any efficiently run school should be eligible for grants in aid even if it was not an industrial real school.
Government participation in education remained minimal and its main concern was education for
immigrants groups .Africans in Kenya played part in the establishment of education prior to1920.

Response of African in Kenya to formal western education.

African response was that of indifference, hostility and apathetic initial response of Africans in Kenya to
Europeans and their formal western education was that of curiosity .When missionaries established
themselves in the area, only the outcast and victims of famine and other maladies who were initially
attracted to mission stations .Later groups of curios people gathered and disappeared after the curiosity is
over.

Contribution of Kenyans Africans to establishment of formal western education.

They provided labor to the European settlers.

Chief or leaders in village, communities offered land for schools to build on.

Systems of education.

Village schools.

By 1920,school systems consisted of a very large number of schools grouped as village schools .Many
were catechumenate where secular instructions was given .They had four classes.

Central schools.

Aimed at completion of primary school course .Had a combined course of general and vocational
instruction .They provided a general education leading up to a course of teachers training.

Development of education in Kenya from 1920 to 1945

The period 1920 to 1945 witnessed important changes in the development of education in Kenya. Factors
behind changes of development of education were as follows;

Incentives to local leaders.

Local leaders were persuaded to send their sons to mission schools for training hence there was
established for chief’s sons in order for them to succeed their factors in ruling posts, be literate children
and assist government business. Attractions and rewards to the youth.

Establishment of colonial administration abolished warfare and raiding among communities.

The youth began to perceive a new colonial society instead of the traditional society like reading and
writing. Opportunities to obtain cloths, free food and hear stories about foreign lands as told by teachers
also attracted youths to attend to school.

School attendance as means of escaping settler farm labor.

Students who attended schools were excused from all or most of demands for labour demanded by chiefs
due to British rule. Many young people hence view the mission schools as means of escaping labour
demands.

School education seen as a gate way to employment.

Skills of education like reading and writing resulted in employment like derks and store men in the
administration and in large farms. It also opened way to anew and respected status in the community.

School education as gate way to political leadership.

It was amongst educated African elite that political leaders had to emerge and articulate their grievances
of illiterate, peasants and workers
References

"Kenya Certificate of Primary Education"

"Ministry of kenya education".
Ferre, Celine (February 2009). "Age at First Child: Does Education Delay Fertility Timing? The
Case of Kenya" (PDF). Policy Research Working Paper (4833). World Bank.
Eshiwani, G.S. (1990). "Implementing Educational Policies in Kenya" (PDF). Africa Technical
Department Series Discussion Paper (85). World Bank.