The Church and Islam: Vyama Vingi (Multipartyism) and the Ufungamano Talks

Abstract

Islam and Christianity have contested with each other in Kenya since Ludwig Krapf’s arrival in Mombasa (1844). Krapf was sent by the Church Missionary Society, with a letter of commendation from the Sultan of Zanzibar to the governor. During the British colonial period (1895–1963), Christianity was regarded as having been favored by the colonial authorities and as having gained the ascendancy. Initially, because of their literacy and the decision to use Swahili as the language of administration, Muslims were employed by the British. However, they were superseded by those who had been educated at the Christian mission schools. At independence, Muslims felt that they were regarded as second-class citizens (Kheir 2007:158). On the coastal strip, which was under the control of the Sultan of Zanzibar until 1892, Muslims maintained their own legal system, Kadhi’s courts,¹ throughout the colonial period. These were expanded under Jomo Kenyatta, the first president (1964–1978). He signed an agreement with the government of Zanzibar, for the continued existence of Kadhi’s courts on the coastal strip. After independence Kadhi’s courts were also established in all of the provinces. Their existence became entrenched in the constitution of the Republic of Kenya. It is of interest to note that Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanganyika, later Tanzania (1961–1985), also signed a similar agreement to keep Kadhi’s courts on the coastal strip. After independence, all the Kadhi’s courts on the mainland were closed, a current cause for dissent in Tanzania.