• Kenya National Library service (knls) Board is a statutory body of the Government of Kenya established by an Act of Parliament, Cap 225 of the Laws of Kenya in April 1965. The Board‘s mandate is to develop, promote, establish and equip libraries in Kenya.

Apply In-Person

1. To apply for KNLS membership, the applicant has to contact the Kenya National Library Service offices in person and submit his/her request. You can get a list of contacts of KNLS offices in the “Office Location and Contact” section of this page or clicking on the following link KNLS Contacts
2. Here you will be given an application form to fill and submit.
3. The applicant has to make sure he or she has all the required documents that are required for this process to be successful and it can be found under the "Required Documents" section of this page or at KNLS Library Membership page on their official website.
4. On Completion of this process, the applicant after meeting all the requirements becomes a registered member and id issued with a library card..
5. The process usually takes 5-10 mins where library services are fully automated or within one week after presenting all the required where library services are not automated.
6. The process is free of charge ,however library visitation attract a small fee.

• Below are the registration requirements for Kenyan citizens and non-citizens.

Kenyan citizen – Adult (16 Years and above)

1. Clear understanding of the library user manual.
2. Duly completed membership form.
3. A copy of National Identification documents.
4. Commitment from the employer or Head of the learning institution.
5. One recent passport size colour photos.

Kenyan Citizen – Child

1. Clear understanding of the library user manual.
2. Duly completed membership form.
3. Commitment from Head Teacher and parent.
4. One recent passport size colour photos.

Non-Kenyan citizen – Adult

1. Clear understanding of the library user manual.
2. Duly completed membership form.
3. Valid passport.
4. A letter of introduction from home office or a valid work permit.
5. One recent passport size colour photos.

Non-Kenyan citizen – Child

1. Duly completed membership form.
2. Valid passport.
3. One recent passport size colour photos.

Institutional Membership

1. Clear understanding of the library user manual.
2. Application letter signed by the Head institution, who will also act as the guarantor.
3. Group to give the name and details of one of their staff, who would be in-charge of borrowing and returning library books.

Kenya National Library Service - Head Office
Head Office, Maktaba Kuu Building,
Ngong Road, Upperhill
Nairobi
Kenya
P.O. Box 30573 – 00100,
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 722 860 567
Email: Knls@knls.ac.ke
Website: Link

Kenya National Library Service - Locations
Library Locations

• Membership is of the library is open to institutions and individuals, both Kenyan citizens and non-citizens.

• Fee details can be found through the following link.Fees & Pricing

Individual Annual Membership/ Subscription

1. Adults - Free / No Charge
2. Secondary School Students - Free / No Charge
3. Junior Membership - Free / No Charge
4. Non-East African Nationals - Free / No Charge

Institutional Annual Subscription

1. Primary School and Secondary Schools - Ksh 3,000
2. Colleges - Ksh 7,500
3. Community/Religious Institutions - Ksh 1,000
4. Universities and NGO's - Ksh 10,000

Daily Library Access

1. Executive - Ksh 100
2. Adults - Ksh 20
3. Secondary School Students - Ksh 20
4. Junior Readers - Free / No Charge

Book Loan

1. Adults & Secondary School Students - Ksh 20 per book for 14 days
2. Junior Members - Ksh 5 per book for 14 days

• One year.

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

• 5-10 mins where library services are fully automated or within one week after presenting all the required where library services are not automated.

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites. 	
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or Country of Birth.

• KNLS is committed to offering access to information and knowledge for empowerment.
• With a library membership card, you have access to a world of books, magazines, newspapers, CDs, DVDs, e-books, databases, online journals, public computers and many more that is yours to discover. A library card is one of the best assets that you need to have in order to transform your life.

• Kenya National Library service (knls) Board is a statutory body of the Government of Kenya established by an Act of Parliament, Cap 225 of the Laws of Kenya in April 1965. The Board‘s mandate is to develop, promote, establish and equip libraries in Kenya. The State Corporations Act Cap 446 of the laws of Kenya also guides the Board in its operations

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

• Membership
• Library Policies
• Citizen Service Delivery Charter

Type of Membership
Junior Membership

• All primary children of school going age and below have access to the libraries within the knls network at no charge (free). However, for them to borrow books, they have to be registered as members of that library and also pay a book borrowing fee of Kshs. 5 per book borrowed.

Adult Membership

• For adult membership, no charges are levied for registration but a minimal fee is charged for daily access. In addition, for borrowing of books, one has to be registered as a member and a book borrowing fee of Kshs. 20 is applicable per book borrowed.

Institutional Membership

• Various categories of institutions may apply for registration at the library of their choice within knls network. The institutions are categorized as; primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, NGOs Community based organizations and religious institutions. Under this category, institutions are required to pay an annual registration as per schedule 2 below.