The growth and expansion of the African Church, both within the continent and globally, in the last few decades has been described as phenomenal. This growth is noted mainly within indigenous Churches which are known by several names including African Instituted Churches , whose contribution to this growth is estimated by researchers at eighty percent . The purpose of this study was to discover the main reasons behind this phenomenal growth of African Instituted Churches. This was done through a qualitative study of one particular sample AIC, the Pentecostal Church Universal (PCU), in Kangemi, Nairobi. This study established that the earliest African Initiated Churches were established as an act of protest against racial segregation and oppression both by missionaries and by the colonial governments. In later years, other factors influenced the establishment of new Churches, the principle among them being a desire by Africans for freedom to worship in an environment that was more homely, and which permitted free expression of their deep seated spirituality, including the use of African music and dance, while at the same time seeking to maintain a strict adherence to the Scriptures