Navigating the Kenya National Archives: Research and its Role in Kenyan Society

Abstract

Situated at the edge of the central business district in downtown Nairobi, the Kenya National Archives (KNA) is a reservoir and living example of historical and ethnographic knowledge. Straddling the boundary between “tourist” Nairobi and “real” Nairobi, the KNA inhabits a space that transcends both function and class in a cosmopolitan, urban setting. The archives look out on the landmark Hilton Hotel, together with the swarms of up-market tourists and wealthy locals it attracts. On the KNA's rear, Tom Mboya street serves a modern gateway to the crushing, chaotic avenues and alleys that the vast majority of Nairobi's citizens tread daily as they depart from and return to the stark realities of Nairobi's eastern slums. Engulfed by the wailing horns of passing matatus and the rhythmic calls of street hawkers, the spaces inside and outside the archive offer a rich terrain for social scientists interested in both contemporary and historical Kenya.The composition of the KNA's clientele also reflects the boundaries that the archives span. Throughout the day, international tourists and local schoolchildren trickle into the groundfloor museum (currently undergoing a major renovation supported by the Ford Foundation) to view the extensive collection of artifacts and photographs representing Kenya's diverse cultures and rich history. Tucked away upstairs, a broad spectrum of patrons works and studies in the archives' reading room, using the KNA's resources for a variety of professional and personal projects.

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“…Unfortunately, national archives in independent Africa were poorly prepared to accept their responsibilities at independence and have been under funded in the decades since. The picture Carotenuto & Luongo (2005) paint of the Kenyan National Archives indicates what scholars face at these institutions; so often, as was the case in Ghana, election results will not be housed there. 4 Several years into a project looking at presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, utilising these methods, Ghana remains the only country for which I have a complete data set at the constituency level.…”