subject: How Religion Came Into East Africa [print this page] Religion's journey to East Africa was not an easy one. It took many years before Africans could embrace it. They observed it as a foreign ideology that had come to interfere with their quiet and calm life. Before civilization the Africans worshipped God in different ways and each tribe did it by their own way. There was no Bible but religious matters were decided by priests chosen from among the community.
Religion was introduced by the colonialists to help convince Africans to turn from their uncivilized ways that the colonialists themselves disgraced. To trick the Africans to fall for this they sent missionaries who finally managed to convince them by offering them shelter, education and clothing. This acted as a catalyst and the Africans embraced this religion fully. Most of the missionaries, didn't not survive for a very long time because they were attacked by tropical diseases and also suffered bites from mosquitoes that resulted in severe malaria. Africans would survive because their bodies had adopted to the harsh weather.
However most of the missionaries did not leave left handed. At least they left two dominant religions; Catholics and Protestants others like DR. Ludwig Krapf who built a mausoleum at the coast of Kenya. He is also the first white man to see MT. Kenya and a name which gave birth to the name of that country. In those days the missionaries could not penetrate too much into the interior because of constant fear of being attacked by wildlife and hostile communities.
