The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on Tuesday held a public hearing on the Kenya National Library Service Bill, 2023, where stakeholders expressed broad support for the proposed law but urged lawmakers to strengthen provisions on digital preservation, financing and professional governance before it is enacted.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Kenya National Library Service Act of 1965 and establish a modern legal framework for the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) in line with the Constitution. Its principal objective is to give effect to Article 11(2)(a) of the Constitution by promoting Kenya's literary and documentary heritage.

Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services Hanna Wendot Cheptumo told the committee that the proposed law would replace legislation that has become outdated in the wake of the 2010 Constitution and rapid technological change.

She said the Bill would provide clarity on the functions of the national and county governments, strengthen the preservation of Kenya's documentary heritage and reposition KNLS as a modern institution capable of expanding literacy, research and equitable access to information.

Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy William Kabogo called for further amendments to ensure the legislation reflects Kenya's digital transformation agenda.

He proposed expanding KNLS's mandate to include electronic legal deposit, establishment of a national digital knowledge repository, digital preservation of public records, artificial intelligence-supported cataloguing and stronger accessibility standards for persons with disabilities. Kabogo also urged the committee to provide for interoperability with government digital infrastructure, robust cybersecurity safeguards and cloud-first digital strategies.

He further recommended that the KNLS Board include members with expertise in digital technologies, data governance and cybersecurity to steer the institution through an increasingly digital operating environment.

Civil society organisations, library users and sector professionals welcomed the proposed reforms but called for stronger safeguards to preserve indigenous knowledge and historical archives. They urged the systematic digitisation of rare documents, including records relating to Kenya's independence struggle and advocated for stricter professional qualifications for the Director-General, arguing that the office should be reserved for qualified library and information science professionals.

Senators focused much of their scrutiny on the practical implementation of the proposed law, raising concerns over financing, governance and the implications of devolving library services.

They questioned how responsibilities would be financed between the national and county governments, expressed concern over the potential neglect or vandalism of facilities transferred to counties, and emphasised the need for sustained capacity-building to enable county governments to effectively manage public libraries. The committee also examined proposals allowing KNLS to mobilise additional resources through other financing mechanisms, with officials indicating that consultations with the National Treasury were already underway to avoid creating unfunded mandates.

The hearing closed with broad consensus on the need to modernise Kenya's library sector. However, participants maintained that the success of the proposed law would depend on clear financing arrangements, strong digital governance, adequate protection of the country's documentary heritage and professional leadership capable of transforming libraries into centres of knowledge, innovation and cultural preservation for future generations.