Praying for Rain: Indigenous Systems of Rainmaking in Kenya

Abstract

Africa in general and Kenya, in particular, are facing climate change challenges. Since most Kenyan communities depend on agriculture as the backbone of the economy for sustenance, some of these, including the Abanyore, Akamba, Ameru, Turkana, and Maasai, have been involved in the practice of rainmaking rituals. They use African traditional indigenous knowledge embedded in African religion to “pray for rain” by predicting, causing, redirecting, and controlling rain within their locality. The role of rainmaking and its effects is therefore crucial. The purpose of this contribution is to examine the indigenous systems of rainmaking in Kenya. It situationally analyzes the art of rainmaking in Africa in general and further contextually examines rainmaking rituals among three Kenyan communities. It suggests that rainmaking is performed as an expression of African religion through communal ceremonies and further notes that indigenous knowledge in rainmaking rituals is significant in helping local communities respond to climate changes, allowing them to execute this knowledge in mitigation or adaptation of climate challenges. The article concludes that local communities need to integrate both indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge to forecast and dispel rainfall patterns to effectively predict weather patterns.