Volume 2, Issue 3, March 2015, PP 139-150 ISSN 2349-0373 (Print) & ISSN 2349-0381 (Online) www.arcjournals.org International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Historical Background of the African Divine Church of Kenya O.M. J. Nandi1 , Pamela Kima2 1Social Sciences Education Department, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, P. O. Box 190 Kakamega, Kenya.
[email protected] 2Social Sciences Education Department, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, P. O. Box 190 Kakamega, Kenya. ABSTRACT European colonization of Africa was largely followed by a process of religious acculturation as older African religious and social traditions were threatened and partially replaced by new ones. Each new religious movement has its own peculiar causes or a combination of causes. The significance of these churches is important to note due to increasing numbers and growth usually at the expense of the historic and mission churches. Many of these AICs were founded by charismatic leaders who attracted followers through their preaching and healing, attributed to the power of the Holy Spirit. This article arises from fieldwork that adopted a descriptive research design within Hamisi District in western Kenya. Data was collected using questionnaires, oral interviews and participatory observation. This in-depth study details the historical background of the African Divine Church, its origins, mandate and development in present day Kenya. INTRODUCTION African independent church (AIC) movement is a phenomenon that has origins onthe African continent and is closely associated with colonialism. The factors that contributed to the rise of these movements include social, political and economic among others.