Storymoja publishers led a reading revolution campaign in 2011 that saw Kenya set a Guinness World record. People were to read at the same time throughout the country. It was an exciting campaign in which I was glad to be part of. At the time I was working at my professor’s lab in Maseno and I set half an hour to read and send a photo of myself reading. Much has been said about the Kenyan reading culture: some believe that it is still nonexistent; another camp argues that more and more people are reading. I’d like to believe that the culture exists, but I’m not sure I can. Not when Longhorn Publishers posted a KES 22.4 million loss for the year ending June 2012. Given, Longhorn focusses on the largest market in Kenya, textbooks, it is simple to understand how that can be a blow to my argument. And even if their results were better it would still mean Kenyan students are reading, mainly because they have to.
There is a shift in the general publishing trend, towards fiction and nonfiction books, as it becomes easier for people to shop and read online. It is cheaper to produce and distribute digital content. Publishers like Kwani Trust are coming up with innovative strategies to market content both locally and internationally. A recently launched book that costs KES 2000 in a retail store at Yaya Centre will only cost you KES 350 at the Kwani? online store (in epub format). For those who do not have tablets they can download Adobe Digital Editions for free on their PCs. The software reads most ebook formats.
As the purchasing power increases and content becomes cheaper, the reading culture is definitely on the rise. I read, attend festivals, review films, and collect books. I have a day set out for book hunting, same way enthusiasts might go around the country documenting rare birds. So it is easy for me to believe that we are a reading nation. I want, therefore, to suggest where you will find books for free or very cheap. My tastes are very subjective. Most of the places I will suggest sell creative fiction, but that does not imply that you will not find self-help and religious books among them.
Books have not always been cheap, but for the past year Nairobi has seen an influx of books from the West. These are books that accompany second-hand clothes on their voyage from Europe and America. When they get to the streets they go for prices between 20-100 shillings. An original copy of The Famished road, Ben Okri’s Booker Prize-winning novel, goes for around a thousand Kenyan shillings at Bookpoint along Moi Avenue. A friend of mine will not stop boasting how she got a second-hand copy for 50 bob. Second-hand books provide a great alternative for most people who would not be able to afford shopping at such places.
The best days to shop for books in Nairobi are Saturday and Sunday. For some reason vendors will sell for half the price on weekends. The two most common spots on Tom Mboya are just outside Tusky’s supermarket, near the #58 bus stop, and a spot next to the #6 bus stop. They sell books for 50 bob on weekends and a 100 on weekdays. They also allow customers to exchange books they have read for new ones.
A magazine vendor along Tom Mboya will sell you second-hand copies of The New Yorker for 50 shillings. You might also get The Economist for the same prize.
The next spot is outside Nakumatt supermarket along Moi Avenue, near Development House. You will get books for 50 shillings. On the other side of the street, just next to Pioneer, is another vendor. He sold me the 2011 Fashion Book for 20 shillings.
You will find vendors near Bus Station who sell rare classics for 50 shillings.
My best spot for buying books is a hidden store in Gikomba market. You will not miss it if you take a random walk in the market. The vendor works on Sundays only and sells books for 20 shillings. If you are lucky you will find everything from prize-winning novels, children’s books, essays and poetry anthologies.
Another great source for content is the internet for those who prefer electronic books. it will cost you next to nothing to read the dailies online. Online books are available in formats compatible with computers, tablets and smartphones. Sites where you can legally – and I emphasize on that word – download books include:
Project Gutenberg has a catalogue of over 3600 free books.
The Internet Archive has an archive of texts, audio, moving images, and software.
Open culture.
Scribd.
ManyBooks.net
Now you have no excuse not to read.