The Role of Teaching History and Government in Fostering National Cohesion and Integration in Kenya: Opportunities and Challenges

The teaching of History and Government should serve to enable a country meet its needs and aspirations. One such need in Kenya, which has remained largely elusive, is national cohesion and integration. The objectives of teaching History and Government are; to demonstrate an understanding of how people and events of the past have influenced the ways in which people lived and behaved; appreciate the need for an importance of mutual responsibility, and to develop a sense of patriotism and national pride through participation in various development activities in the country. Research has revealed that the teaching of History and Government contributes to the development of an individual by increasing his/her propensity to be tolerant. Learning has a strong influence on the development of shared norms and the value placed on tolerance and understanding within a community. Integration is the process by which immigrants become accepted into society, both as individuals and as groups. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to establish whether the objectives of teaching History and Government subject in Secondary school are being met and to establish the role of History and Government education in enhancing National Integration in Kenya. The target population of the study comprised of History and Government teachers, History and Government students, community leaders, Youth leaders, and Church leaders in Bomet County. Focus group discussions, Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data from the respondents. Qualitative data collected was analyzed using content analysis while quantitative data analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that there is a need to have History and Government subject compulsory in secondary school curriculum to allow the subject objectives to be met. The study also revealed challenges facing the teaching of History and Government subject fails to meet the needs of the Country in terms of cohesion and integration.