The Kinds of Traditional African Religious Family Values among the Marama Community of Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Religious family values in the traditional African Communities played a crucial role in the molding of respective families in the past with the view that life was communal. Some of the values that molded families included respect, sharing, unity, honesty, love, empathy, sobriety, togetherness, faithfulness, moral uprightness, procreation, hard work, hospitality, generosity, co-operation, belief in God, belief in life after death, belief in rituals and belief in spirits. The mentioned values among others knitted together individual families and the community at large, hence ensured harmony and development. In Kakamega County among the Marama Community, similarly they said values were prevalent in the past. This study was guided by the functionalism theory. The research design used was descriptive survey, whereby people`s views, opinions, attitudes and suggestions were collected. The respondents were arrived at by using purposive sampling. Respondents used formed two categories. The categories were of community elders and religious leaders. It was established that the Marama Community of Kakamega, enjoyed the communal life which was spearheaded by the said traditional African Religious family values.