Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service eCitizen Services Portal (KNADS)

Overview

The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS) eCitizen Services Portal is an online platform through which members of the public can access archival services of Kenya's national archives remotely. The portal is part of Kenya's broader eCitizen government services platform.

History and Background

KNADS was established by an Act of Parliament in 1965 as Kenya's national repository for public and private records of enduring value. It was originally placed under the Office of the Vice President and the Minister of Home Affairs, and was revised in 1990 to incorporate national documentation and information retrieval services. The main building on Moi Avenue in Nairobi initially housed the Kenya Commercial Bank and contains the Murumbi Gallery on its ground floor, named after Kenya's second Vice President, Joseph Murumbi.

Collections and Holdings

KNADS holds approximately 600 million pages of documents across eight repository areas, including records from all ministries, government offices, parastatals, county governments, church missionary records, and private persons. The archive holds 40,000 volumes and over 13 million digitised documents. Collections include microfilm, audio-visual materials, rare library books, and records in Arabic, Swahili, and English. Digitisation initiatives began in 2007 using UNESCO CDS/ISIS cataloguing software.

eCitizen Services

The eCitizen portal enables citizens and researchers to apply for archival services online, including requests for access to records. Foreign tourists and researchers can also use the portal to arrange archival research visits. The portal is accessible at archives.ecitizen.go.ke.

Access and Physical Location

KNADS is headquartered at the edge of Nairobi's central business district on Moi Avenue, next to the Ambassadeur Hotel. Regional branches are located in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Kakamega, and Nyeri. The on-site search room is open Monday to Friday for local and international researchers.