The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services (KNADS) is located in the heart of Nairobi, Kenya, on Moi Avenue, right opposite to the Ambassadeur Hotel. It was founded in 1965 and has 40,000 books in it. It was created in 1965 through an Act of the Kenyan Parliament, and it reports to the Vice President and the Minister of Home Affairs. Currently, it is managed by the State Department’s National Heritage and Culture Bureau and the Vice President’s Office.
The Murumbi Gallery, which includes 19th-century collections of African items, is also housed in the Kenya National Archives building. The gallery is named after Joseph Murumbi, Kenya’s second vice president, and it is located on the ground floor of the Kenya National Archives building. It houses ancient art collections from many cultures and regions of Africa and is currently the biggest Pan-African art gallery in all of Africa. After reaching a concessionary agreement with Joseph Murumbi, who had first rejected many sizable offers from foreign bidders to buy his collections, the government of Kenya was able to acquire the collected artifacts.
You are pleasantly delighted by the exhibition that welcomes you at the Murumbi Gallery on the ground floor when you enter the Kenya National Archives. It is hardly what one would anticipate to find in a facility whose primary function is to maintain and protect all Kenyan public records and archives. The amazing collection of African arts and crafts that the late Joseph Murumbi and his wife Sheila sold to the Kenyan government in the 1980s was on display as the center of attention at the Kenya National Archives. The collection showcases the traditional tools and crafts used in the past in various regions of the African continent, taking you on a cultural journey of the entire continent.
You get to view some of the traditional African artwork, crafts, and useful objects that influenced and inspired some of the most well-known painters in the world, including Matisse and Picasso. On display are a variety of artifacts from the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritius, and other regions of this enormous continent, including masks, weapons, cowbells, traditional clothing, tapestries, furniture, and cooking utensils. You may observe Kenya’s rich cultural diversity, from the beautiful coastal Swahili workmanship to the Maasai jewelry and contemporary Maasai tools.
In addition to the Murumbi Trust display on the ground level gallery, the Kenya National Archives’ first floor gallery features a photo exhibition chronicling Kenya’s history from the colonial period to the present. It covers significant characters in Kenya’s independence movement as well as other occasions and people who helped mold this nation. Large collection of priceless African books from the late Murumbi is also available for review at the Library in the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services. The Murumbis’ final resting place is the public cemetery at the Nairobi City Park in the Parklands area of Nairobi.
The contents of the Kenya National Archives
1. Microfilm
Over the years, KNADS has produced a number of microfilm collections on several fascinating historical topics, all of which are supervised and controlled for use by the general public at Kenya National Archives.
2. Audio Visual
Over the years, KNADS has produced a number of audio and visual collections on several fascinating historical topics, all of which are monitored and controlled for usage by the general public at Kenya National Archives.
3. Library
Over the years, KNADS has produced a number of library book collections on several fascinating historical topics, all of which are supervised and controlled for use by the general public at Kenya National Archives.
4. Search Room
Welcome to Kenya National Archives’ well-equipped search room for regional and international researchers!
