Kiambu County Government in conjunction with the Kenya National Library Service has been urged to consider a need for public libraries in all its 11 sub-counties in an attempt to promote a reading culture among the county residents and the school-going children.
Josephine Ndung'u, a lecturer at Mount Kenya University, speaking to class seven and eight pupils of Kenyatta Primary School in Makongeni on Wednesday noted that lack of well equipped public libraries in many areas in the county had led to a diminishing reading culture among residents.
"We used to be told while we were young like these youngsters that reading is the mother of learning. That idea has not changed but it is unfortunate that we are the ones witnessing the death of that reading culture," said Ndung'u.
She added: "If you go to many places in our county we do not have public libraries and if you are lucky to find one, they are so poorly equipped that you cannot find anything worth making you want to go back there for another time. It is high time our county government came up with a plan to bring these libraries back to life and encourage people to adopt a reading culture. Information and knowledge is power."
Ndung'u also urged local primary schools and day secondary schools to establish small libraries in their schools where pupils can borrow novels to read during their leisure time and holidays.
"Many pupils and students come to know of libraries when they get to colleges and universities. At that level, you don't expect an old dog to learn new tricks. Reading culture should be encouraged from the foundational level," Ndung'u said.
She also called on parents to ensure that kids have reading materials at home while asking them to regulate the time the children spend on electronic gadgets like TVs, phones, PlayStations among others saying they were a major cause of a deteriorating reading culture among children.