CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE
Section IV: Africa Missions

Part 21 contains the papers of the Kenya Mission, 1935-1949. The early papers for the Kenya Mission, 1841-1888 can be found in Part 16 and the papers for 1880-1934 in Parts 17 and 18.

The material for 1935-1949 is arranged differently from the papers up to 1934 being divided into subject areas: General, Dioceses, Education, Missions and Medical. The papers are very easy to read as they are mostly typed. They are arranged chronologically with the most recent papers at the beginning of the file.

The General section contains letters, memos and reports from the missionaries, missionary Secretary and the Secretary at headquarters on a wide variety of subjects: missionary furloughs, the election of committee members, schools, development funds, the appointment of African teachers, salaries, the constitution of the mission and of the United Missionary College, Ibadan, the establishment of a Board of Governors and a General Circular on Women and Girls' Work

Included also are the minutes of: the first meeting of the Hospitals Management Board, the Central Council of the African Church Council, the Bookshop Committee, of a Committee to discuss African Church Development and Finance, of the first meeting of the Sub Committee of the Christian Council of Kenya on the education of women and girls and of the Kenya Mission Advisory Committee.

Also included are papers on: medical work, the teacher training policy, a joint Conference of the CMS Medical Representatives of East Africa, a conference on Medical Missions, the teaching of languages in Africa, leper work at Kalolemi, the evangelisation of Indians in Kenya and a list of European personnel at the mission stations.

More topics include: grants for African education, the East Africa Famine Fund, race relations, compulsory native labour during World War II, the state financing of African education, native marriages, independent schools, the expenditure of Central Kavirondo Local Native Council, coffee growing, the church's work amongst Africans in towns and settled areas, joint theological training for the Ministry, unity and cooperation between Christians in the Kenya colony, a united church in East Africa, annual reports on the mission by the mission secretary, F Cecil Smith and a report by the principal on St Paul's Divinity School in Limuru.

Included are the minutes of the Kenya Executive Board, and of the following committees: the Coast Missionary, the Highlands Missionary, the Kavirondo District Missionary, the African Church Council, the Central Council, the Coast District Council, the Highlands District, the Christian Council, the CMS Hospitals' Management Board and the Representative Council of the Alliance.

There is much on the work among the Indians in the Kenya mission including reports, a note on the constitution of the mission to the Indians, reports and statistics on the Indian hospital and medical work, minutes of meetings of the Bookshop Committee and of the Committee for the Evangelisation of Kenyan Indians, a printed copy of "The National Christian Council Review", a report on the work among the Indians by Dr Alma Downes-Shaw and on the work of the Mission Hospital for Women and Children in Mombasa.

The Diocese section contains letters, memos and reports from the missionaries, missionary Secretary and the Secretary at headquarters on the Mombasa Diocese. It contains information on the constitution of the diocese, the Mombasa chaplaincy and general correspondence on wide ranging topics: a memo on polygamy, a report on a missionary journey, minutes of meetings of the European Council of the Mombasa Diocesan Synod, of the Standing Committee of Synod, of the Diocesan Board of Finance, of the African Education Board and the Church Aid Association plus memos on teacher training and evangelism.

The Education section includes information for the different schools in the mission such as Kikuyu Alliance High School, Kabete Jeanes School, St Paul's United Theological College at Limuru, Maseno Vocational School, the Nairobi Pumwani Women and Girls'Hostel and the Thogoto Rural Training Centre. Contained are general correspondence, annual reports, minutes of meetings of Boards of Governors and letters re recruitment of staff and purchase of new land. Also included in the Education section is correspondence regarding the Nairobi CMS bookshops.

The Missions section gives details on Butere, Dabida, Embu, Freretown, Kabare, Kabete, Kahuhia, Kaloleni, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Ng'iya, Weithaga and Wusi. Contained in this section are correspondence, reports, finances, minutes of the Executive Board and Annual Letters from missionaries.

The Medical section contains correspondence and memos on leper work at the Kaloleni and Maseno Medical Missions, news on staffing and hospital work.

The papers in Part 21 will give the researcher much information on the progress of the Kenya Mission over the Second World War period and beyond and are a rich source for all those trying to understand Africa in this period.