n keeping with the times, this year’s edition of our fundraising gala was a virtual one, themed Mask-A-Rade. We gathered with friends and supporters online in support of our restoration work in 2021. This event gave online audiences and givers an opportunity to play a part in creating truly inclusive public spaces from the comfort of their homes, while enjoying beautiful sets designed by David Oywa.

Despite the challenges to us all brought on by the pandemic and resultant limitations on public gatherings, we were excited to showcase a year we spent restoring two public libraries ( Kaloleni Library and Eastlands library in Makadara) as well as other groundbreaking work including the ongoing digitisation of archives held at the library dating back to the late 1880s.

Opened in 1931, this library was built by Lady Lucy McMillan as a memorial to her husband, Sir Northrup McMillan, who died in 1925. The oldest library in Nairobi and the second oldest in Kenya, it is the only building in Kenya protected by an Act of Parliament; The McMillan Memorial Library Act Cap 217 of 1938 (revised in 2012).

Many thanks to all our guests and partners for a truly wonderful virtual gala!