Activity Description: KENYA NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE (KNLS) operates mobile library trucks and two  Camel mobile libraries in Wajir and Garissa in North Eastern Kenya for primarily pastoralist people, who have no access to schools or static libraries.  In the Northeastern Province, the illiteracy rate is 85.3%, compared to 31% nationally.  

Better-suited than a car to the terrain, the camel transports books to the nomadic communities from Mondays to Thursdays. From Fridays to Sundays, the camels are released to go and feed, recuperate and vetted for any signs of disease and treatment.

One reason for the success of the camel libraries is that camels are a greatly respected provider of livelihoods among the Pastoralists, as a source of meat, milk, shoe leather, gourds, medicine, manure, and transportation.

The KNLS Board adopted the strategy of Community participation and involvement to encourage ownership of the project by local groups, incorporating village elders, community opinion leaders and other interested parties such as NGOs, the Provincial administration, etc. The library field staff under the Head Librarian carry out constant evaluations to gauge the levels of user satisfaction of the services rendered.