Do Kenyans love reading? is not an uncommon question. Often you will hear it during book drives and literary communities and summits. In 2016, the Kenya Publishers Association described Kenyans reading culture as wanting. From the look of things, this question might continue to exist in perpetuity, unless some key considerations are factored in.
This conventional question emanates from a number of reasons. First, the rate of buying and selling of books in our bookshops and stores. Two, the attendance rate in our public and community libraries and lastly, how the nation embraces and supports book summits by investing in them.
A study conducted in 2023 by data firm Stadi Analytics and the Writers Guild Kenya showed that at least 85 per cent of Nairobi residents read regularly. In addition, the study found that women preferred to read fiction while men read more non-fiction material.
A different finding found that older people, above 45 years, were more frequent readers compared to younger ones.
The future of reading culture and literacy levels among our children lies in community libraries.
For us to create a vibrant and thriving society, we must invest more in local libraries. This can be facilitated by firstly distributing books to them; secondly, donating land to put them up, plus their maintenance; and lastly, allowing our children to visit them regularly.
It’s so sad that we have a generation that the only time it gets to read is when preparing for exams. The end of exams marks the end of reading. This comes as a result of a poor and misleading stereotype—that we read for exams. On a different note, it’s pleasing that the current CBC curriculum gives learners an opportunity to interact with research books, magazines, newspapers and novels.
World Book and Copyright Day, marked on April 23, was founded by Unesco in 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading culture. The day has since been commemorated in more than 100 countries around the globe to promote and enhance reading habits among children and young people.
The perfect time to fold our sleeves and set up more community libraries is now. One of the easiest ways we can encourage our children to read is by enrolling them in libraries.
Remember, one does not have to step into a classroom to increase their level of literacy. One can improve their knowledge and critical thinking by reading available books. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.
Maya Angelou once said, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”
Library social media manager, Rongo University