Kenya National Archives

AO. Un-sexy and "un-innovative" maintenance work

AO: This quote to me highlights the importance of avoiding progress narratives because in the nearly 15 years since this article was written by two American graduate students, the Kenya National...Read more

AO. Fire.

AO: This quote highlights the use of fire(s) (also mentioned in Fedha 1972) to destroy many of the colonial government's documents and the supposed rationale for why the...Read more

Fedha, N.W. 1972. "The Role of the Archives in Research." Conference Paper. Nairobi, Kenya.

AO: In February 2019, I came across this document written in 1972 by one of the early chief archivists of the Kenya National Archives (N.W. Fedha). The document outlines the early history of the Kenya National Archives as well as the rationale and motivation for its creation...Read more

AO. Largely unknown and underutilized

AO: The sentiments articulated below echo what my ongoing fieldwork has also revealed, particularly surprising given that I have been engaging with researchers in Kenya. Even amongst local and...Read more

Gisesa, Nyambega. 2019. “The Unsung Mau Mau Heroes Who Fought for Independence.” Daily Nation, June 1, 2019.

AO: This article mentions Ukombozi library and the National Archives. It quotes Kimani Waweru, the in-charge at Ukombozi Library as saying: "There was a deliberate effort to ensure that the stories of these great men were not told. A few individuals who tried to research on...Read more

Fenton, Siobhan. 2017. “Why Do Archive Files on Britain’s Colonial Past Keep Going Missing?” The Guardian (blog). December 27, 2017

TM: This Guardian article describes the interesting predicament that is happening at Britain's archives especially in matters surrounding Britain's colonial past. This has interesting insights on the lives of the people it affects namely, the people who bore the brunt of Emperial Britain and the...Read more

Kemoni, N. Henry, and Patrick Ngulube. “National Archives and the Effective Management of Public Sector Records in Kenya,” 2007.

TM: This is a research report on the findings of the challenges faced by government ministries and state departments in Kenya. It contains a detailed report of findings from 157 research participants identifying the challenges that hamper effective government intersectionality in regard to...Read more

AO. Joseph Murumbi.

AO: Mr. Joseph Murumbi (1911-1990) was a Kenyan politician who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya from 1964 to 1966, and its second Vice-President between May and...Read more

Kariuki, Collins. 2019. “National Archives: From Bank to a Haven of Knowledge.” Daily Nation, May 31, 2019.

AO: This brief Daily Nation article from May 31, 2019 outlines the history of the building and describes how: "[b]y offering internships, attachments and volunteer opportunities to youth, the Archives continues to play a critical role in the lives of Kenyans." I included the article to...Read more

Subscribe to Kenya National Archives