As affirmed by the 2010 constitution, the Republic of Kenya is a secular country that promises both freedom of faith and freedom from religion. In practice, however, the realm of religion in Kenya is highly normative. The 2010s have seen the rise of a group seeking to challenge this status quo: Atheists in Kenya (AIK). The group met with fierce resistance, and its attempt to register as a legal society ended before the country’s High Court. AIK’s activism turned it into a social movement that demands a reexamination of the close ties between religion and the State. It is thus an important participant in a wide debate on secularism in Kenya. In addition, AIK may be read as a testimony to the country’s present stage of democratization, which allows – if sometimes reluctantly – for new modes of social action and for the expression of claims that were formerly kept in check.

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Atheism,Civil society,Kenya,Laïcité,Religion,Secularism

• Sociology - Social Sciences
• Philosophy, Ethics and Religion - Humanities
• Anthropology - Social Sciences