Religion and Community Development as Instruments of Peace in Chebunyo Ward, Bomet County, Kenya

Abstract

Religion has played a powerful role in the development of many societies in the world. One impediment of human development has been ethnic animosity and violence. Poverty and struggle for limited resources have been blamed for ethnic violence in many communities in Africa. This paper investigated how Christian religion and community development initiatives, together worked to establish peace between the multi-ethnic population at Chebunyo ward, Bomet County, which has been at war with each other for a long time. A total of 114 pastors, chiefs, teachers and other community leaders, selected from those who attended training at World Vision Kenya, Bandaptai Area Development Program, were interviewed on the role Christian religion and community development initiatives by World Vision Kenya played in establishing peace and transformation. This study used survey and narrative method, to investigate what Christianity was doing in Chebunyo Ward, in Bomet, to establish peace between the Kipsigis people and their neighbours. This paper found that the church was successful in establishing sustainable peace by helping the people engage in entrepreneurship, create cooperatives and business network, and depend on one another in business; strategies that helped the people to work as a team, for mutual development, and in effect living peacefully with one another.
Key Words: Peace, Community Development, Religion, Violence, Environmental Sustainability