Contributions of Christian Faith-Based Organisation (CFBOs) to Poverty Reduction in Turkana West, Turkana County, Kenya

Despite the deliberate efforts of the government to mitigate poverty through the equitable share of national and equalization funds in Turkana County, extreme poverty is still evident, and Turkana West sub-county registers the highest poverty index of 82.1%, with limited access to social services, low education levels, recurrent conflicts, and high dependency. The Christian Faith-Based Organisations’ (CFBOs) holistic approach to poverty reduction is often overlooked in existing studies; hence, this study attempts to fill this gap by providing context-specific empirical evidence on the CFBOs' involvement in sustainable poverty reduction initiatives. The study utilized a descriptive mixed-method triangulation design- validation model. However, a quantitative approach within the design was employed to guide the findings of this article. SPSS was used to analyze the data, which is presented in table format bearing the frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The key findings of this article comprise: 53 (54.6%) respondents agreed, to varying degrees, that CFBOs’ contributions in agriculture have enabled people in Turkana West to access basic household needs. Additionally, 50 (51.5%) agreed that educational contributions from CFBOs have helped individuals access basic education and training, thereby empowering them academically. Furthermore, 72 (74.2%) respondents agreed that CFBOs have significantly contributed to social, political, and economic development, thereby boosting poverty reduction efforts. Moreover, 60 (61.9%) respondents agreed that CFBOs have played a role in conflict resolution, transformation, and prevention through religious dialogue in Turkana West. This study may contribute to CFBOs and policymakers to the extent of institutionalization of CFBOs' partnership with other government and non-governmental Organisations in poverty reduction efforts. The role of CFBOs’ in development should be formalized, structured, and integrated into official systems and policies, rather than being temporary or ad hoc

Basic needs · Extreme poverty · General partnership · Literacy · Livelihood · Poverty · Poverty reduction · African history and culture analysis · Christian Theology and Mission · Religion, Society, and Development