Kenya National Archives and Murumbi Gallery

The Kenya National Archives building on Moi Avenue is easy to miss among the city centre's shops and traffic, but it holds one of Nairobi's most rewarding collections. The archives were established by an Act of Parliament in 1965, and the stone building they occupy originally housed a bank. Today the institution keeps about 40,000 volumes along with microfilm, audio-visual and library collections that document Kenya's history.

Most visitors come for the Murumbi Gallery on the ground floor, named after Joseph Murumbi, Kenya's second vice-president. Murumbi and his wife Sheila spent decades collecting African art and artefacts, and rather than accept higher offers from overseas buyers, he sold the collection, together with his Muthaiga home, to the Kenyan government on generous terms so it would stay in the country. A 1976 gazette notice barring the export of such antiquities also helped keep it in Kenya. The result is a dense display of art and artefacts from communities across Africa, some of them collected in the nineteenth century.

The Search Room serves researchers working with the archive's records. It is used by historians, students and people tracing family history, and it gives access to the microfilm, audio-visual and library holdings. Casual visitors usually stick to the gallery, but it is worth knowing the research facilities are there.

The Murumbi Art Gallery is open daily from 09:00 to 16:30, including weekends and public holidays, while the Search Room opens Monday to Friday over the same hours and closes on public holidays. Allow about an hour for the gallery. Displays are close together, so take time to read labels, and ask staff if a guided walk-through is available on the day.

The building stands at 30 Moi Avenue, next to the Ambassadeur Hotel and facing the Hilton across the road, with Tom Mboya Street behind it. The surrounding streets are some of the busiest in Nairobi, so keep valuables out of sight and use a taxi if you are carrying a camera bag. KICC, Jamia Mosque and the Nairobi Gallery are all within the central business district, making the archives an easy stop on a city centre walk.