Assessing teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in addressing the 'second generation' alcohol abuse in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

This paper examines the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in addressing the “second generation” alcohol abuse in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The emerging phenomenon of SGA and its abuse by some RCC believers in Uasin Gishu County necessitated this study.  Structural Functional Theory by Emile Durkheim and Symbolic Interaction Theory by George Herbert Mead were used to guide the study. The study targeted the Roman Catholic believers, especially clergy, brewers, addicts, and reformed addicts, rehabilitation counselors and Alcoholic Drinks Control Board members. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 11 informants. Interview Guide and Observation Schedule were used to collect data, which were eventually cleaned and organized. Data was analyzed by discussing information within the context of the study. The following were the key findings of the study: RCC through Pioneer Total Abstinence to Alcohol (PTAA) movement advocates abstinence on all forms of alcohol but some of their teachings and world views of alcohol consumption moderation contradicts in each other. This study concludes that there is a gap, where little is known of SGA (Busaa and Chang’aa) to inform their teachings as comparable to other licit alcohol and therefore recommends the following: the teachings of abstinence by PTAA should be embraced and taught from RCC pulpit; the RCC should have debating engagement with other religious organizations on SGA to inform their teachings; at the policy level, NACADA and county governments should partner with religious organizations among other stakeholders to foster understanding on emerging SGA and substance abuse through National and Regional conferences to build their capacities.