EIFL has been working in Kenya since 2008. We engaged with the development of the Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium (KLISC), and through this partnership, libraries in Kenya are providing access to a wide range of scholarly e-resources. EIFL agreements with publishers also allow authors in Kenya to publish in open access in hybrid or fully open access journals at waived or discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs).

EIFL supported national and institutional open access awareness raising and advocacy workshops that have resulted in the launch of open access publishing platforms and the creation of a number of open access repositories. 

Through our work, the leading universities in the country - University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology -  have introduced open access mandates, thereby opening their research to the world. Many more universities followed suit. 

We have also advocated for revisions to the national copyright law to enable libraries to better meet the needs of their end users. We supported ratification by Kenya in 2017 of the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities, and its implementation into copyright law. To support librarians to use the treaty in their work, we produced a Kenyan edition of ‘Getting Started. Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities. A practical guide for librarians’.

EIFL has engaged with public libraries in Kenya resulting in innovative pilot projects that are helping libraries meet the information needs of their communities. In addition, we supported advocacy for resourcing of public libraries with digital technology, and as a result, public libraries throughout the country have computers and the internet for public use. 

EIFL partnered with the Kenya National Library Service in a two-year project to strengthen continuous professional development of public librarians. The partnership led to the establishment of new public library services using digital technology to serve community needs. We are continuing to build the capacity of librarians in Kenya to enable them to introduce technology-based services for their users.

In 2024, EIFL awarded grants to the Kenya Association of Physicians to improve the reach and impact of the Journal of the Kenya Association of Physicians (JOKAP), and the Regional Institute of Information and Knowledge Management to institutionalize and systemize the operations of the Regional Journal of Information and Knowledge Management. 

In 2025, EIFL awarded grants to - 

• KLISC to improve technical, editorial and management capacity of its official publication, the KLISC Journal of Information Science & Knowledge Management;
• The Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) library to boost the operational and financial sustainability of the Multidisciplinary Journal of Technical University of Mombasa (MJTUM), and 
• The East African Association of Neurological Surgeons (EAANS) to improve production and editorial processes, and strengthen the visibility and impact of its official journal, the East African Journal of Neurological Sciences (EAJNS).
• The Adventist University of Africa (AUA) to enhance the quality and sustainability of three Diamond open access journals: the Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences; the Pan-African Journal of Health and Environmental Science, and the Pan-African Journal of Theology.

The grants (2024 and 2025) were among 30 awarded through a three-year project to strengthen no-fee open access publishing in Africa.