The Mission of the Church in Fighting Devolved Corruption in Kenya: Historicity, Milestones and Emerging Challenges

Abstract

The church has a calling and a mission to fulfill in the society. Historically, Kenya realized its Constitutional dispensation in 2010, which entrenched a devolved system of a two-tier government: one at the national level and the other at the 47 Counties. The church has contributed immensely towards the realization of the devolved system of government. This article sets out to analyze the church’s mission in the society, corruption being top on the agenda. The article examines the reasons for the runaway corruption when most Kenyans profess Christianity as a religion that condemns corruption. Other related corruption social ills and practices bedeviling the country both at the national level and the Counties include but not limited to, bad governance, negative ethnicity, and impunity. Which begs the question, is the church still the conscience of the state or has it been compromised? Methodologically, the article harnesses on existing literature and interviews from politicians and church leaders. Further, this work utilizes missiological models and orientations to draw challenges and discussions. Findings and conclusions have been drawn from the discussion emanating from literature review and interviews. In summary, corruption has been devolved in the counties because the same people who were in the national government are now in working in the counties, little checks and balances in a system that is corrupt.
Keywords: Corruption, Church, Mission, Governance, Constitution, Devolution