STSS - Master's Theses

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://erepository.scott.ac.ke/handle/123456789/11

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Author: search.filters.author.Chebor, Justin KipronoStart date: 2019

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    Exploring leadership perceptions on Africa Inland Church’s role in addressing child abuse: A case study of Africa Inland Church-Kenya, Kajiado Township
    (Scott Christian University, 2026) Chebor, Justin Kiprono
    Child abuse remains a pressing global challenge, with faith-based institutions increasingly recognized as frontline actors in safeguarding vulnerable children. In Kenya, particularly within rural and pastoralist contexts, churches such as Africa Inland Church-Kajiado Township (AIC-K) play a pivotal role in providing spiritual counseling, safe spaces, and educational support. Yet, systematic evidence on the effectiveness and sustainability of faith-based child protection models remains limited. This study therefore explored church leadership perceptions of AIC-K’s role in addressing child abuse, situating the inquiry within Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Structural Theory, and guided by Empowerment and Social Capital frameworks. A qualitative exploratory design was employed to capture rich, contextual insights into leadership experiences and institutional practices. Data were collected through twelve semi-structured interviews with pastors, elders, and ministry leaders, three focus group discussions involving eighteen participants across pastoral, lay, and departmental leadership, and document analysis of church policies and reports. Stratified purposive sampling ensured representation across gender, ministry roles, and leadership strata, while thematic analysis using NVivo software facilitated systematic coding and theme development. Lincoln and Guba’s trustworthiness criteria—credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability—were applied to enhance rigor. Findings revealed that leaders perceive child protection as both a theological and moral responsibility. However, barriers such as limited training, resource constraints, and entrenched cultural practices, including corporal punishment, hinder effective safeguarding. Conversely, enabling factors included community trust, chaplaincy structures, and spiritual counseling, which fostered resilience and moral development among children. Analysis highlighted a dual dynamic: while structural and cultural barriers constrain intervention, faith-based resources and moral authority provide significant opportunities for child protection. The study concludes that effective faith-based safeguarding requires integration of theological ethics to guide motivation with empirical frameworks to ensure accountability. By bridging universal child rights with African moral worlds, this research contributes to practice by informing faith-based safeguarding strategies and to scholarship by advancing applied ethics and religion-and-development discourse in Kenya.