Nakuru County Government has broadened its functions after taking over the services of the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS).
The County Secretary, Dr. Samuel Mwaura, said the transfer of KNLS was a big boost to the devolved unit as it was adding muscle to the rollout of information, communication, and technology (ICT) and youth empowerment programmes in the county.
Speaking during the signing of transfer documents, Dr. Mwaura indicated that all the functions and resources of KNLS would now be under the devolved unit, courtesy of the Kenya Gazette notice dated August 9, 2019.
The Inter-Governmental Technical Relations Committee (IGTRC) had approved the delineation of KNLS functions and the distribution of libraries between the national and county governments.
According to Dr. Mwaura, the staff under KNLS could be transferred to the county, adding that the library service would be under the Directorate of Tourism and Culture.
Dr. Mwaura further said that the county would work on having library services delivered electronically.
“We need to enrich the library by making sure we have it with enabled devices like laptops and iPads and allow connectivity of WI-FI so that anybody can come in and do research electronically,” said the county secretary.
He noted that the modernization of the library would make it inclusive and dynamic so that it could serve everyone.
The county secretary outlined that the transfer of the library operations to the county government would not stop the two governments from continually working together.
The official also affirmed that they were looking forward to having a library in all 11 sub-counties within their term in office to improve the reading culture among students and residents.
County Attorney Mr. Caleb Nyamwange stated that the devolved unit would expedite the integration of transferred personnel into the county employment systems, as per the established structures.
Nyamwange indicated that the national government had handed over the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) to the Nakuru County government in line with the government’s agenda of strengthening the devolved units.
He noted that the transfer of KNLS to the county government was significant for the region, as the facility is an important resource for the region.
In the current financial year, the national government has allocated Sh45 million to counties to cater for the transfer of library services to devolved units. Library services are a devolved function under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.
The National Government has moved to properly transfer the function to county governments and will now be allocating resources for library services as an equitable share in a phased approach starting with the 2023–2024 financial year.
For the next three financial years, Sh45 million will be included in the equitable share allocation for 33 counties that have national libraries starting from the year 2023/2024.
After three financial years, the 33 county governments will be required to integrate the salaries of KNLS staff into their payroll.
By Esther Mwangi
