Restored Nairobi public libraries become civic hubs, reach global prize shortlist

Nairobi's oldest public library and two of its branches have gone from derelict, near-abandoned buildings to some of the city's busiest civic spaces — and the turnaround has made the restoration project a finalist for a leading global urban-innovation award.

Book Bunk, the Nairobi-based non-profit behind the restoration, has been named one of five finalists for the 2025–2026 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities, according to the prize's own project page and a feature published on 25 September 2026 by the online magazine Reasons to Be Cheerful. The recognition follows a more than 240% rise in patronage across the three libraries since restoration work began, according to Reasons to Be Cheerful, with over 192,000 direct users and roughly 150,000 residents benefiting indirectly, according to the prize's project page.

Book Bunk was founded in 2017 by writer Wanjiru Koinange and publisher Angela Wachuka to rescue Nairobi's colonial-era public libraries from decades of neglect. It works in partnership with Nairobi City County: the county retains ownership of the buildings and provides core staff, while Book Bunk raises funds and runs programming, according to Reasons to Be Cheerful.

From colonial relic to community hub

The flagship site, McMillan Memorial Library, opened in central Nairobi on 5 June 1931. It was largely financed by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and named for the American-born settler William Northrup McMillan, according to Wikipedia. The library enforced a whites-only admission policy formalised by its own dedicated legislation, the McMillan Memorial Library Act (Cap 217 of 1938) — at the time the only building in Kenya protected by a specific Act of Parliament. Segregation ended and the library opened to all Kenyans as the colonial era gave way to independence.

Book Bunk's other two sites, Eastlands and Kaloleni libraries, sit in Nairobi's working-class Eastlands area and were the first to be restored. They reopened with free Wi-Fi and community-designed programming — including digital-skills classes and mental-health support groups — and are now, according to Reasons to Be Cheerful, among the busiest public libraries in the city. Book Bunk says it has also catalogued roughly 138,000 existing books, added about 23,000 new titles, converted ten African-authored books into Braille, and mapped 1,196 public libraries nationwide as it explores scaling the model beyond Nairobi.

McMillan's restoration still under way

The main McMillan building itself remains a work in progress. Nairobi City County, under Governor Johnson Sakaja, and Book Bunk began a first phase of urgent structural repairs in September 2026, including roof work, external drainage and electrical upgrades to stop water damage, Citizen Digital reported. The phase follows a two-year technical assessment that produced a six-phase restoration plan, according to HapaKenya.

Sakaja said of the project: "McMillan is more than a building; it is part of Nairobi's history and identity," and that the county's "responsibility is to preserve that heritage while giving it a new life that serves the people of Nairobi today," Citizen Digital reported. As of late 2025, Book Bunk said it still needed KES 25 million, about US$193,000 (using an exchange rate of roughly KES 130 to the dollar), to finish refurbishing the library, HapaKenya reported. The struggle to fund the restoration has also been the subject of a documentary, "How to Build a Library," which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, according to Wikipedia.

What the prize is — and what finalist status brings

The WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities, backed by businessman Stephen M. Ross, is a global competition run by the World Resources Institute that recognises urban projects offering practical lessons for other cities. The 2025–2026 cycle, themed "Catalysing Healthy Cities," drew a record 334 submissions from 230 cities in 77 countries, according to WRI. Five finalists were chosen; the Manila-based Move As One Coalition, a transport-advocacy initiative, was announced as the grand-prize winner in April 2026 and received US$250,000. The four other finalists, including Book Bunk, each receive US$25,000, WRI said. The other finalists were the Atlanta BeltLine, the RISE informal-settlements initiative and Sistema Verde Urbano.

WRI describes Book Bunk's restored sites as "Palaces for the People" — vibrant public hubs for learning, civic life and environmental programming. Finalist status, while short of the top award, typically brings funding, international visibility and credibility — support that could help Book Bunk close the funding gap still facing McMillan's remaining restoration phases.

Visiting the libraries

Eastlands and Kaloleni libraries are open to the public and operating as community hubs. McMillan Memorial Library, in central Nairobi, remains under restoration, with sections affected by the ongoing structural works reported by Citizen Digital in September 2026; readers planning a visit should check with Book Bunk or Nairobi City County for current access before travelling.