Ukombozi Library was established in 2017 by progressive information and social justice activists in partnership with Vita Books, Mwakenya December Movement and the Mau Mau Research Centre to bring to light thousands of books, publications and archives that inspired and fueled the struggles for social justice and democracy in Kenya. The Library is registered as a society under the Progressive African Library and Information Activists (PALIAct).

The need for such a library follows from the fact that progressive literature has been generally ignored by most libraries and learning institutions. Young people with passion to bring about fundamental change in the country and thirsty for materials that would inspire them in their quest for social justice get disappointed as such materials are hard to come by.

The Ukombozi Library has an initial collection of almost a thousand titles of progressive material, mostly books but also pamphlets, videos and photographs. It incorporates the December Twelve Movement’s underground library set up by Nazmi Durrani in the 1980s.  A majority of these are classics which are either out of print or cannot be found in the local bookshops. Other material has been donated by Mau Mau Research Centre, Vita Books and many progressive individuals active in the information struggle in Kenya.

Ukombozi Library has incorporated the Community ReachOut initiative which breaks the colonial library mould and takes the library to various communities to enhance personal and national development. Community groups, libraries and institutions are welcomed to be institutional members of the Ukombozi Library. The institution’s members borrow up to 5 titles from the Ukombozi Library for a maximum of 2 months.

Presently, Ukombozi Library has become a hub and a meeting place for reading, sharing, discussing and reflecting on progressive books, publications, ideas, among other engagements by college students and social movements activists from the older and younger generation that are actively engaged in the struggles for social justice in Kenya and elsewhere in the region and globally.

The library undertakes various activities with local communities to enhance learning, widen awareness and expand horizons of members. Its other activities include group study sessions, screening and discussing films, regular Civic Engagements and the Ukombozi Forums. The Library publishes a quarterly newsletter, Ukombozi Review, to encourage an exchange of ideas and experiences and to create reading and writing opportunities for working people. It also partners with Vita Books to publish The Kenya Socialist magazine, the magazine aims to encourage free flow of information, knowledge and discussion which can  lead to a better understanding of socialism.

Membership is open to all who agree with the vision and principles of PALIAct, irrespective of class, ethnicity, religion, gender, region, race or disability. Individuals or institutional membership is available on payment of appropriate fees, i.e., Ksh. 1,000 registration fee and refundable security deposit of Ksh. 2,000. Members are free to borrow books.