The Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) starts today at the Sarit Centre Expo Hall in Westlands. The event organized by the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) runs till Sunday, October 2.

This year’s event, now in its 23rd edition, comes as a big relief for Kenyan publishers, as they did not hold book fairs in 2020 and 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are excited that we are holding a physical book Fair, in Nairobi, after being unable to do so the last 2 years owing to COVID-19 disruption,” explains Mary Maina, the chairperson of NIBF. “Publishers were hard hit by this disruption: sales plummeted, some industry players closed shop, and the staff was retrenched. However, most publishers demonstrated resilience and they are slowly and gallantly soldering on.”

Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) has said it will be steadfast in producing pedagogic books that are relevant to the newly established Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).

Kiarie Kamau (pictured), the Chairman of KPA, expressed optimism that the desired educational goals in Kenya and especially those concerning Grade Six pupils will be achieved as the country transitions from the old 8-4-4 system to the new 2-6-3-3 structure that was unveiled by the government in 2017. “Storybooks and other ledgers that are applicable in the latest methodology for the pupils who are upgrading to junior secondary will be readily available courtesy of KPA.  I’m optimistic that the objective will be embraced by both tutors and students,” said Kiarie.

He made the remarks yesterday ahead of the Nairobi International Book Fair (NIBF) that starts on Wednesday and ends on Sunday at the Sarit Centre Expo Hall in Westlands, Nairobi.

The event, now in its 23rd edition, is organized under the auspices of KPA. This year’s Book Fair comes as a great relief for Kenyan publishers who, just like other citizens, are still recovering from the devastating effects of Covid-19 which resulted in 2020 and 2021 NIBF editions being canceled.

Kiarie expressed gratitude that NIBF will be holding a physical book fair after the government lifted all mandatory Covid-19 restrictions.