The Progressive African Library and Information Activists’ Group (PALIAct) set up the PALIAct Ukombozi Library, in partnership with Vita Books and the Mau Mau Research Centre in Nairobi in 2017. The Library aims to make available progressive material and to encourage reading, study, and research by working people in Kenya.
The Ukombozi Library has an initial collection of almost a thousand titles of progressive material, mostly books but also pamphlets, videos, and photographs. A majority of these are classics which are either out of print or cannot be found in the local bookshops. Other materials have been donated by Mau Mau Research Centre, Vita Books and many progressive individuals active in the information struggle in Kenya. Membership is open to all who agree with the vision and principles of PALIAct. Further information can be obtained on their Facebook page here.
This essay is part of a broader essay on Scholarly Memory in Nairobi, Kenya which includes McMillan Library, Kenya National Museum Library, British Institute in Eastern Africa Archives, Kenya National Archives, and PALIAct Ukombozi Library.