Rabai, also called Rabai Mpya (New Rabai), is a historic location and Sub-County in

Kilifi County Kilifi County was formed in 2010 as a result of a merger of Kilifi District and Malindi District, Kenya. Its capital is Kilifi and its largest town is Malindi. Kilifi county is one of the five counties that harbor the Kenyan Coast with 109km ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

about 12 miles northwest of the city of

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

. It is the first place in Kenya where missionaries of the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS) established a Christian mission.

History

Johann Ludwig Krapf Johann Ludwig Krapf (11 January 1810 – 26 November 1881) was a German missionary in East Africa, as well as an explorer, linguist, and traveler. Krapf played an important role in exploring East Africa with Johannes Rebmann. They were the first ...

came to Rabai in 1844 with his pregnant wife Rosine, whom he had married in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Shortly afterwards on 9 June 1844, his wife died of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. At the time of her death, Krapf was also taken ill and their newborn infant died 3 days later. They were buried at Rabai. In 1846 Krapf together with

Johannes Rebmann Johannes Rebmann (January 16, 1820 – October 4, 1876) was a German missionary, linguist, and explorer credited with feats including being the first European, along with his colleague Johann Ludwig Krapf, to enter Africa from the Indian Ocean coa ...

set up a mission at Rabai. Dr. Krapf learnt the local languages and translated the bible into Swahili. On 10 June 1849

Jakob Erhardt Johann Jakob Erhardt, or John James Erhardt, (17 April 1823 – 14 August 1901) was a German missionary and explorer who worked in East Africa and India. Although he remained on or near the coast of East Africa, he contributed to European knowl ...

and John Wagner arrived at the Rabbai Mpia mission station, where they joined Krapf and Rebmann. However, Wagner died on 1 August 1849. In the spring of 1850 Erhardt and Krapf travelled by dhow down the East African coast from Mombasa. The boat was small and food was scarce, poor quality and difficult to prepare due to the rain. However, they collected much information about the interior. After the voyage the two returned to the mission station, and in 1851 Krapf left for Europe to recuperate.

Today

The people of Rabai are known as Rabai (Warabai in Swahili) and their language is also known as Rabai (kirabai in Swahili). They are one of the nine tribes known as Mijikenda. The Krapf Museum also known as the Rabai Museum was founded in memory of Krapf and his work in the area. The Rabai festival is an annual event held in November to celebrate the history, life and culture of the Rabai and their small town.

References

Citations Sources * {{refend External links * https://archive.today/20130628031812/http://www.rabaicbo.org/ * http://www.museums.or.ke/content/blogcategory/50/74/ * http://anglicanhistory.org/africa/krapf_career1882.html * http://old.magicalkenya.com/default.nsf/news1/01CB22EC3638BEDE43256C63002E04A2?opendocument&l=1 Populated places in Coast Province Kilifi County

History

Today

See also

References