DEVELOPMENT OF SECULAR EDUCATION IN SOUTH KAVIRONDO DISTRICT OF KENYA: THE CASE OF GOVERNMENT AFRICAN SCHOOL KISII (1934 - 1963)

This thesis discusses the development of secular
education in South Kavirondo District of colonial Kenya.
However before doing that, an examination has been made of
the role of th~ Christian missionaries in the introduction of
formal western education in South Kavirondo, Kisiiland in
particular. The study shows that modern western education in
South Kavirondo was introduced and shouldered for a long
period of time by the Roman Catholic Mill Hill and Seventh Day
Adventist missionaries. The chief aim of these Christian
missionary groups was to convert the African into
Christianity. Hence these Christian missionaries used formal
education as a means, of propagating the Christian gospel.
Besides religious education in reading, writing and basic
elements of arithmetic, this thesis shows that Africans in the
mission schools were subjected to vocational education by the
colonial government education policies on the ground that
through vocational education, idleness, laziness and
helplessness which Africans were said to be suffering from
could be eradicated. Vocational education was also seen as a
means of promoting the virtues of self discipline,
punctuality, self reliance, responsibility and humility which
the Africans were said to be lacking.