Fort Jesus reopened its Swahili library after a careful renovation

Readers can use the Swahili library inside Fort Jesus again. The Eastleigh Voice reported on October 26, 2026, that a renovation worth about 50,000 US dollars, or 6.5 million Kenyan shillings, is finished. Azerbaijan's international development agency, AIDA, provided the money. Mary Gikungu, director-general of the National Museums of Kenya, said the partnership was launched in December 2025 and the funding arrived before that month ended. The library had been a priority, alongside a proposed heritage centre at the museums' headquarters.

Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was built by the Portuguese in the late sixteenth century. At the reopening, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir was represented by Ibrahim Khamis, the county executive for the blue economy, who asked for more local community involvement at the site. The renovation restores one reading room. It does not settle older questions about who helps run the monument.