Historic Records Return Home
This is with the aim of making the archives more accessible through exhibitions, workshops, and online platforms. This will allow students, researchers,
The Shared Archives are a big step towards the reclamation of the national narrative, Cheptumo stated. Photo/ Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
Kenya has officially regained part of its archival heritage that was transported to the United Kingdom before independence. The country on Friday took delivery of more than 307,000 digitized images and 9.76 terabytes of historic data.
The ceremony for handing over marked the launch of www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001508077/united-kingdom-hands-over-colonial-era-archives-“>Kenya’s Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS). In attendance were high-ranking government officials, foreign diplomats, and Acting British High Commissioner Ed Barnet.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Heritage Hannah Wendot Cheptumo referred to the return of the records as a historic milestone. According to her, the archives contain records of key events in the history of Kenya, including the Mau Mau liberation struggle and the colonial State of Emergency.
Cheptumo noted that the partnership with the British Government made the same possible. She noted that Kenya has become one of a small number of post-colonial nations to have regained their historical archives.
“These records are not just papers,” she said. “They hold memory, truth, and identity. Kenyans can now access their history without having to travel abroad.”
The Shared Archives are a big step towards the reclamation of the national narrative, Cheptumo stated. She noted that the archives will ensure that Kenyans author their history, particularly the independence struggle and the birth of the nation.
She also announced that KNADS will invest in better ICT systems to enhance digitization. This is with the aim of making the archives more accessible through exhibitions, workshops, and online platforms. This will allow students, researchers, and members of the public to study Kenya’s heritage more easily.
Cheptumo explained that the public launch of the Shared Archives was both symbolic and practical. It honors freedom fighters’ sacrifices, she said, while simultaneously protecting the country’s memory for future generations.
She added that the project will allow national identity to be consolidated and Kenyans to have direct access to their historical and cultural heritage.
The recovery of the records closes a painful chapter of Kenya’s colonial past and opens another in which Kenyans can interact with their own history in the homeland.
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