CONTRIBUTIONS OF MILL HILL MISSIONARIES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN KISUMU COUNTY: A CASE OF NYABONDO BOYS SECONDARY SCHOOL 1935-1985

Abstract

This study set out to examine the contribution of Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM) to the development of secondary education in Kisumu County. The institution of interest was Nyabondo Boys Secondary School. The study confined itself to a period between 1935 to 1985; 1935 being the time that a Mission Station was established at Nyabondo while 1985 being the period under which the management of the school was handed over to the Kenyan government. What warranted the documentation of this study was from the available literature, there was scanty information on the contribution of Mill Hill Missionaries to the development of secondary education in Kisumu County. The study was guided by the following objectives: To trace the historical development of Nyabondo Boys Secondary School; to examine the contribution of the Mill Hill Missionaries to the development of secondary education in Kisumu County, with special reference to Nyabondo Boys Secondary School; to establish the role that Africans played in supporting the Mill Hill Missionaries establish Nyabondo Boys Secondary School in Kisumu County of Kenya and to investigate the impact of Mill Hill Missionaries established schools to the local community of Kisumu County of Kenya. The purpose of this study was to examine the role that Mill Hill Missionaries played to the development of secondary education in Kisumu County. The site of the study was Nyabondo, in Nyakach constituency of Kisumu County. This being a historical study, a historical research method was employed to suit the study, with qualitative techniques used to facilitate the process of data collection and analysis. This study relied on primary sources of data and used secondary sources as supplement to the primary sources. Primary sources involved the use of interviews and archival data from the Kenya National Archives such as diaries, letters and speeches. The study also employed purposive sampling technique, where participants that suited the study were purposively selected and identified using snowballing method. Archival data was subjected to the historical techniques of internal and external criticism in order to ascertain its authenticity while audio recordings from interviews were transcribed to remove any grammatical errors. The verified data was then analyzed and presented qualitatively under historical periods and themes with regard to the study objectives. The findings of the study concluded that MHM played a vital role to the development of secondary education in Kisumu County through the establishment of Nyabondo Boys Secondary School. Throughout the historical development of the school, Africans also supported the school in various ways. The establishment of the school positively transformed the community both politically and socio-economically. From the findings, the study recommends policy makers and educational stakeholders to engage faith-based organizations when making decisions regarding educational development and societal transformation.