A Moral Response to the Corruption of Individualism in Kenya Today
Abstract
This paper undertakes a critical review of a Moral Response to the Corruption of Individualism in Kenya. It is an attempt to investigate the challenge of individualism. Promotion of justice and peace in the world is part of the constitutive mission of the Church. In fulfilling this mission, the church challenges the oppressive structures in society. Research in Kenya reveals that the presence of individualism has affected the people in almost every aspect of life: families, community, governance, religion, land tenure, and access to natural resources. This has resulted into numerous consequences such as inter-ethnic conflicts, poverty, destruction of life and property, and environmental degradation. These factors slow down authentic development and impede the evolution of peoples towards greater socio-economic and spiritual well-being. The study found that the root cause to these challenges is individualism. Since authentic peace must be built upon the values of the dignity of every individual and of solidarity among the people, the study proposed a communitarian ethic as a possible cure to this challenge. This study is an advocacy for the promotion of values such as: justice, peace, human dignity, reconciliation, option for the poor, solidarity and similar. Basing on the Sacred Scriptures, Church tradition, African traditional values and experience, the study has provided numerous recommendations that may help in building a society that values a communitarian ethic. The recommendations invite the church, government, community, and every individual to take part in building a society harmonized by justice and peace.
Keywords: Church teachings, Corruption of Individualism, Kenya
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