Quakers in Kenya: A History of Kenyan Friends to the Present

This session will begin with an overview of the different periods of Quakerism and how these periods gave rise to the establishment of Quakerism in various parts of Africa, including Kenya.

Participants will also learn in this session about the place of Quakerism in Kenya in the missionary/colonial and post-missionary/colonial contexts, exploring in particular the interaction of Quakerism with African religion, the role missionaries, colonists, and Africans played in the establishment of Quakerism in Kenya, and the changing scene thereafter in the African led church after the missionaries left and implications thereof of Quakerism’s formation in Kenya. This session will conclude with an exploration of ongoing work to document the history of Kenyan Quakerism, as well as the challenges and prospects therein.