Christians in the City of Nairobi

Founded in 1899 as little more than a train depot for the Uganda Railway, Nairobi has come a long way. This book examines the diverse expressions of Christianity in the city.

Kyama Mugambi and Mark Shaw explore Metropolitan Nairobi - a city boasting a population of ten million –which is one of the most religiously pluralistic cities in the world. Mosques, megachurches and temples serve as the backdrop for examining Christianity and public life in this vibrant city.

Christian pluralism runs deep in the city, with 85% of Nairobi claiming allegiance to one of the thousands of different Christian churches. The city is a laboratory of a new global pluralism, and avital centre of a new global Christian pluralism specifically. Mugambi and Shaw argue that this kind of pluralism is reshaping religion everywhere in the majority world.

Chapters cover all the major Christian traditions practiced in the city, including Protestantism, Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Other themes include the role of women in Christianity, Kenyan Independent Churches, and the Christian youth movement. The book illuminates how through Christianity, Africans have begun to come to terms with modern urban realities, including religious pluralism, hypothesising how this process could unfold in other parts of the world.