Nature of conflicts in the Anglican diocese of Nairobi, Kenya

Stephen Omucheni Shisia; Crispinous Iteyo; Elijah. O.S. Odhiambo

doi:10.51867/AQSSR.3.3.18

Authors

Stephen Omucheni Shisia Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3243-0686
Prof. Crispinous Iteyo Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3370-8804
Rev. Dr. Elijah. O.S. Odhiambo Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4048-3962

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.3.3.18

Keywords:

Anglican Diocese of Nairobi, Anglican Church of Kenya, Church, Conflicts, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Christians globally live under the expectation that the church should be different from other secular institutions. The Anglican Diocese of Nairobi has experienced recurring conflicts; disputes over leadership succession, church property and, legal battles. Different leaders within the Diocese have used different styles of leadership that has resulted into conflicts, often leading to a clash of expectations and a lack of clear-cut conflict resolution mechanisms. This study examined the nature of conflicts in the Anglican Diocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The study was justified in three-fold: academic, policy and philosophical taking the scope into consideration. The literature was done thematically adopting the structural conflict theory. The study adopted the descriptive and evaluative research designs. The study area was the Anglican Diocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The simple random sampling was used to select the parishes and respondents from the selected parishes while purposive sampling was used to select the key informants. The sample size comprised of 256 respondents (only 238 responded). The participants included Bishop, Archdeacons, and Vicars, Curates, Parish Church Council (PCC), Mother’s union (MU), Kenya Anglican Men’s Association (KAMA) and youth. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect primary data. Desk top review was used to collect secondary data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics via SPSS Version 30. Validity and Reliability of research instruments, limitations of the study, and ethical considerations were taken into consideration. The findings were presented in frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation. Qualitative data was processed via thematic and content analysis. The results showed that the most prevalent nature of conflict was disagreements over the appointment of Bishops, and church elections which had 51.7 %. The study findings would contribute to helping policymakers in the Anglican Church of Kenya, Diocese of Nairobi, in coming up with new policies or improving the existing ones to address the various conflicts that are occasioned by leadership styles. The study recommends that the Anglican Church should periodically organize the development and training of clergy and the laity.

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