Factors Influencing Roles Played by Church Leaders in Community Health Programmes’ Sustainability in Homa Bay District-Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Sustainability of community health programs in resource limited countries within sub Saharan Africa like Kenya, pose major challenges to most of the governments and the perceived benefiting communities. Churches around the world are involved in one way or another in various types of community development programs. Their involvement promotes sustainability of these programs. Key health indicators in Kenya have been worsening day by day for over decades. Though there is a reverse in most of the indicators, they still remain poor in regards to World Health Organization’s standards. Worse, sustainability of the on going programs remains one key observable challenge that seeks for synergistic partnership.

Direct roles played by Church leaders in community Health programs in Homa-Bay District were not clearly understood. What influenced them to or not to play a role in these programs were also not known, yet there were adequate evidences which showed that sustainability of community health programs remained a challenge for decades. This caused a concern for investigation.

The aim of the study was therefore to assess factors influencing the roles church leaders’ play in community health programs sustainability in Homa Bay District. It specifically looked at the roles played by church leaders in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the on going programs together with other partners, their unilateral roles in churches that promote sustainability of ongoing programs and also to determine institutional factors that influence the roles they play in Community Health Programs at the District.

Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional exploratory study that employed qualitative approach of data collection. The study population were ordained church ministers, who were either priests or pastors together with their local lay leaders from Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Anglican Church of Kenya, Baptist and Full Gospel Churches in Homa Bay District.

The findings of the study revealed that, Church leaders play very minimal roles in the programs and they vary from one church to another. What influences their roles were:

-        The degree of support from overall church leaders to respective internal committees.

-        Adapted policies by partners / church.

-        The functionality level of relevant government coordinating structures in the District.

In conclusion, church leaders are established to have minimal support to ongoing health programs due to inadequate sensitization and involvement by the government coordinating structures. So there is a need for government to strengthen its commitment towards sensitising church leadership to be involved actively and consistently among other partners