Christian History in Kenya

The two German missionaries, Johannes Ludwig Krapf and Johannes Rebmann, were sent by the English Church Missionary Society to establish the first mission station in East Africa. They set it up in 1846 in Rabai, about 20 km inland from Mombasa. From this base, they separately searched for other suitable locations for mission stations in the hinterland. Due to limited financial resources, they could not afford large caravans for these exploration treks. The first obstacle was the 150 km wide, waterless belt of desert and thornbush known as the Taru Desert, which had to be crossed. Their initial journeys took them to Sagala and the Taita Hills, where Rebmann sighted the snow-capped Kilimanjaro (now in Tanzania) on May 11, 1848. About a year and a half later, on December 3, 1849, Krapf saw Mount Kenya in the land of the Kamba. In Europe, the news of snow-covered mountains was met with skepticism and not taken seriously.

However, their travel reports sparked interest, and by the mid-19th century, missionary societies became increasingly fascinated with East Africa. They dreamed of creating a chain of mission stations from east to west and hoped to discover Christian tribes allegedly living at the source of the Nile.

These missionaries aimed to convert the pagans to Christianity with the help of these tribes and disrupt the slave trade.

The numerous reports from the missionaries drew many adventurers, fame-seekers, and scientists to the “white spot” (Africa) to solve the mystery of the Nile’s sources. Even the Pharaohs and later the Romans had tried in vain to find this place.

Richard Burton and John Speke set out in 1857 on behalf of the Royal Geographic Society with large carrier columns to find the source. First, they reached Lake Tanganyika, which they initially thought was the source. Burton fell ill along the way, and Speke continued north to investigate a vast water body. In 1859, Speke stood before Lake Nyanza, which he renamed Lake Victoria. His assumption that Lake Victoria was the source of the Nile was correct.

Later, many other Europeans explored the region. The most famous among them were David Livingstone and Stanley. It is essential to remember that these European explorers relied on local Arab caravan leaders and used the established caravan network infrastructure. The Europeans’ achievement was collecting and cataloging information. Ludwig Krapf transformed the local Swahili language into written form.