Legacies and pitfalls amongst the African Evangelicals: A Kenyan experience from a historical perspective

The research study sets out to explore the contribution of the African Evangelicals in both the colonial and post-colonial Kenya to the social lives of the nation. Can’t it be viewed as a positive social influence or an ecclesiastical pitfall? In utilising a socio-historical design, it poses the question: how did the Evangelical European Missionaries demonstrate their theological and social influences in Kenya, and how did the post-missionary Evangelical-leaning leaderships play out? And was Muthirigu Dance an extremist reaction against the rigidity of the Evangelicals? Methodologically, this article will attempt to explore the Evangelical European Missionary Christianity, especially the Church Missionary Society that entered Central Kenya in the early 1900s, and assess the way in which they handled indigenous cultures of the local Africans. It has also attempted to critically explore their social influences in both colonial and post-colonial Kenya (1895–2021). The CMS has been given more emphasis in this article as an Evangelical society so as to help in bringing out the specific Evangelical activities in the Kirinyaga County of Kenya. Overall, the article has endeavoured to hypothesise that Eurocentrism was not the Evangelical problem, as there were diverse European missionaries, such as the High Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic and the Lutherans who were non-Evangelicals, and who were not necessarily dogmatic and rigid.Contribution: This study adhered to the HTS journal’s vision and scope by its focus on the histories of the Evangelical European Missionaries of the 19th and 20th centuries, their interactions with the local religio-cultures, and how it later played out amongst the Africans.

Qualitative Accounts of School-Aged Children’s Diets during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural, Central, Kenya

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to food security in many countries, including Kenya. However, the impact of this on food provision to children at an individual level is unknown. This small study aimed to provide a qualitative snapshot of the diets of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. During completion of 24-h food recalls, with 15 families with children aged 5–8 years, caregivers were asked about changes they had made to foods given to their children due to the pandemic. Food recalls were analysed to assess nutrient intakes. Qualitative comments were thematically analysed. Most of the families reported making some changes to foods they provided to their children due to COVID-19. Reasons for these changes fell into three themes, inability to access foods (both due to formal restriction of movements and fear of leaving the house), poorer availability of foods, and financial constraints (both decreases in income and increases in food prices). The COVID-19 pandemic has affected some foods parents in rural Kenya can provide to their children.

Temporal trends in pre-ART patient characteristics and outcomes before the test and treat era in Central Kenya

Background Retention of patients who did not initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been persistently low compared to those who initiated ART. Understanding the temporal trends in clinical outcomes prior to ART initiation may inform interventions targeting patients who do not initiate ART immediately after diagnosis. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of known HIV-infected patients who did not initiate ART from healthcare facilities in Central Kenya was done to investigate temporal trends in characteristics, retention, and mortality outcomes. The data were sourced from the Comprehensive Care Clinic Patient Application Database (CPAD) and IQ care electronic patient-level databases for those enrolled between 2004 and 2014. Results A total of 13,779 HIV-infected patients were assessed, of whom 30.7% were men.There were statisitically significant differences in temporal trends relating to marital status, WHO clinical stage, and tuberculosis (TB) status from 2004 to 2014. The proportion of widowed patients decreased from 9.1 to 6.0%. By WHO clinical stage at enrollment in program, those in WHO stage I increased over time from 8.7 to 43.1%, while those in WHO stage III and IV reduced from 28.5 to 10.8% and 4.0 to 1.1% respectively. Those on TB treatment during their last known visit reduced from 8.3 to 3.9% while those with no TB signs increased from 58.5 to 86.8%. Trends in 6 and 12 month retention in the program, loss to follow-up (LTFU) and mortality were statistically significant. At 6 months, program retention ranged between 36.0% in 2004 to a high of 54.1% in 2013. LTFU at 6 months remained around 50.0% for most of the cohorts, while mortality at 6 months was 7.5% in 2004 but reduced to 3.8% in 2014. At 12 months, LTFU was above 50.0% across all the cohorts while mortality rate reached 3.9% in 2014. Conclusion Trends in pre ART enrollment suggested higher enrollment among patients who were women and at earlier WHO clinical stages. Retention and mortality outcomes at 6 and 12 months generally improved over the 11 year follow-up period, though dipped as enrollment in asymptomatic disease stage increased.