Martin Munyao Oppressive Structures To gain an understanding of why the Church’s role in political protest is required, we must gain an understanding of the oppressive socio-economic and political structures. Unless we can see the oppressive nature of these structures in Kenya, we will never value the place for social action of the Church. What are these structures and how do they perpetuate injustices against the citizens? These are political and economic structures in the government of Kenya whose role ideally is to serve the citizens. Unfortunately, what we have sensed in the past from these structures is the ability to wield their power to unleash structural violence against their citizens. Quite often we don’t seem to see this as violence because of our narrow definition of the same. Violence is not necessarily bloody, but this kind is equally messy and deadly. Structural violence refers to social and personal violence arising from unjust, repressive, and oppressive national or international political, economic and social structures in which the system generates repression, abject poverty, malnutrition, and starvation for some members of society while other members enjoy opulence and unbridled power.