Kenya is digitizing 40,000 historical documents to preserve them and improve access for researchers, facilitated by the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service since 2007. This project addresses the need for simultaneous access to records, ease of search, and challenges related to technology and quality during the digitization process. Despite initial obstacles, including a hacked website and resource shortages, the project is progressing towards making Kenya's historical records widely available.

1. Kenya Progressing with Digitization of
Historical Records
Historical records in paper or microfilm format could vanish forever if proper
measures are not taken for their preservation. So the news that the Kenya National
Archives, a museum cum art gallery, is
digitizing 40,000 unique documents
comes as no surprise. Following in the
footsteps of libraries, museums and
other organizations across the world,
the Kenyan Government is embarking
on a major project which will chart the history of the country digitally for easy access
by researchers and history enthusiasts.
The Kenya National Archive collections include material relating to the colonial and
post-colonial government of Kenya up to the early 1960s. They provide a complete
picture of the social, political, economic, and religious problems of development in
equatorial Africa. The collection includes a large number of microfilm reels of
newspapers, journals, and papers of assorted associations. The digitizing project of
the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS) began in 2007.
Objectives of KNADS
The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services (KNADS), a department
under the Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture, is responsible for the
control and preservation of all public archives and public records in Kenya. The main
aims of its digitization project are as follows
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2. • To address the public’s need to have instant access to records: as original
archival records are available as single copies, it is not possible for multiple
users to access them. Electronic documents can be accessed simultaneously.
• Ease search processes: Document retrieval is much easier once they are
indexed and archived. Automatic identification of documents is not possible
with paper based records.
The Process of Digitization at KNADS
• The first step is cleansing of the documents, including de-magnetizing,
unclipping and batching of documents.
• The second step is scanning, indexing and editing of historical documents
• The third step involved filtering the documents. Activities included OCR and
PDF conversion.
Digitization was not easy when KNADS started out. The first three years of the
project were outsourced due to the shortage of manpower and equipment. The many
challenges the department faced are discussed in a paper published by UNESCO
titled ‘The Road to Providing Access to Kenya’s Information Heritage’.
Challenges
• The process of digitization includes the image capture of drawings and maps
of different formats and so advanced technology and hi-speed scanners are
required
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3. • Extra investment is required to create backups and to manage the electronic
repository created with extra hard disks, DVD, and PDF
• Quality may be compromised with mass digitization, especially when the
archival quality digitization requires a high resolution
• Even though the prime function of transforming documents to electronic
format is speedy record access, progress has been slow for sometime due to
the following reasons:
o The KNADS website got hacked
o Hosting the website with mass volume of data became an issue
o There were technological challenges in uploading documents in the
server
• Digitization had to be handled by skillful professionals to ensure quality
output
Some of these challenges have been resolved and KNADS is forging ahead with its
aim to make Kenya’s epic history available to the world.
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