Effect Of Traditional Pokot Worldview On Spread Of Christianity Among The Pokot

ABSTRACT

Christian missionaries established the first mission work among the Pokot of West Pokot

County in 1931, when the Churchman‟s Missionary Society (BCMS) the Anglicans

established a mission centre at Kacheliba. However, they encountered resistance and non

response from the Pokot. To date, the bulk of the Pokot, especially the elderly are still

conservative to their traditional lifestyle and reluctant to open up to Christianity, change

and new ideas. This Study endeavoured to find out why the pokot resisted Christianity,

change and new ideas. The objectives of the study were: First, to examine the traditional

Pokot worldview. Second, evaluate the spread of Christianity among the Pokot, and

finally, to assess the effect of the traditional Pokot worldview on the spread of

Christianity among the Pokot. This study was guided by the structural functionalism

theory of Robert K. Merton (1910-2003). The basic principle of this theory is that society

has evolved as an organism and should therefore be studied from the perspective of the

social structures and the functions of its constituent elements. This study adopted a

descriptive design. The Purposive, snowball and the random sampling methods were used

to select the respondents for the study. The study established that the bulk of the Pokot,

especially the elderly are very acculturated and conservative to their traditional beleiefs

and practices. Due to this, the traditional Pokot worldview has affected the spread of

Christianity among the Pokot. There is need therefore, for Christian denominations doing

mission work among the Pokot to present the Gospel in light of the Pokot culture and

traditional worldview. This can be achieved be achieved by involving the Pokot in

decision making and in the establishment of Christian programs that are culturally

relevant to them and are geared towards addressing needs perceived by them.