The main tension of The River Between, at least on a high level, is that of Christianity’s incursion into Kenya. We will look at that from a historical perspective to further contextualize what is happening in Ngugi’s work.
Christianity (specifically, Catholicism) came to East Africa in the earliest years of European exploration, became entrenched in the 19th century. A CMS missionary settled near Mombasa in 1844, and when a settlement for freed slaves opened in Freetown near Mombasa, the first Kenyans were ordained there in 1885.
Missions began to proliferate in the region following the establishment of an Anglican Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa, which was formed in 1884. The missions underwent a series of setbacks, including the murder of the first Bishop, but they persisted.
In 1889 the British East Africa Company made inroads into the area and Britain began its colonial rule. The creation of the Uganda railway facilitated the further spread of Christianity, especially out of Nairobi. Several of the most prominent missionary societies were established near the turn of the century: Gospel Missionary Society (1897), Church of Scotland Mission (1898), Holy Ghost Mission (1899), Church Missionary Society (1901), and Africa Inland Mission (1901). The University of Pennsylvania details some of the further splits, noting, “In Kenya there are also several independent Christian churches that have broken ties with other Christian or Protestant denominations. The largest of these independent churches was the Nomiya Luo Church, whose founder, Johana Owalo, was an early convert to Christianity in 1900. In 1907 he had a vision in which he was taken up into heaven by the angel Gabriel. He saw that Europeans and Asians, and even the popes, were not allowed to enter heaven. Later, he converted to Islam and began to preach that mission churches were in opposition to traditional beliefs. His mix of Christian, Anglican, and traditional practices attracted many followers.”
The Kikuyu, in particular, resisted the Christians, opposing their attempt to outlaw the clitoridectomy. When some Christians refused to take the Mau Mau oath in 1952, they were killed. Jomo Kenyatta famously said, “when the missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the missionaries had the Bible. They taught us how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible.”
After Kenya achieved independence in 1964, many chose to join the Christian faith. By 2000 over 75% of the population claim to be Christian or Catholic. There are more than 4,000 registered churches in Kenya.
Persecution of Christians is a problem in contemporary Kenya; it mostly stems from the Islamic militant group, al-Shabaab.
