East African Newspapers

Sponsored by the Center for Research Libraries

The twentieth and early twenty-first centuries were a time of great change for Africa. In East Africa, this time witnessed the growth of decolonization as independence movements swelled, and local, autonomous self-governance took hold throughout the region. This period was also punctuated by famine, drought, political uprisings, border disputes, and war as countries worked to navigate the post-colonial landscape.

The East African Newspapers collection provides insight into this region during this critical time, featuring key newspapers from the region from the 1940s to the mid 2010s. This collection includes over 800,000 pages total from three titles: Daily Nation (Kenya), The Ethiopian Herald, and The Monitor (Uganda).

The East African Newspapers collection is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Center for Research Libraries and its member institutions. The collection is available for free to all CRL members institutions. Non-CRL institutions that wish to purchase the East African Newspapers collection should contact us for more information.

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East African Newspapers

Current Titles

The East African Newspapers collection includes three titles, accounting for over 34,000 issues and over 800,000 pages.

Daily Nation (Nairobi)
Daily Nation first launched as a sister paper to the Swahili language Taifa in 1960 and quickly rose to be the highest circulating newspaper in Kenya. The newspaper covers the end of colonial rule, the rise of an independent Kenya, and the country’s rapid growth in the modern era.

The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa)
Founded in 1943, The Ethiopian Herald is a government-owned newspaper run by the Ethiopian Press Agency. The English-language paper covers the country’s transition from a monarchy through the communist era and into the present democratic republic.

The Monitor (Kampala)
Founded in 1992, The Monitor (relaunched as The Daily Monitor in 2005) is considered Uganda’s leading independent newspaper. Among other domestic and international topics, the newspaper provides in-depth coverage of Yoweri Museveni’s lengthy reign as president.

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Related Resources

Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers (Open Access)
Daily Observer Digital Archive (Open Access)
Al-Ahram Digital Archive