Kenya National Commission for UNESCO

The Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM) was established in 1964 as a Department under the then Ministry of Education. This establishment was subsequent to Kenya’s Membership to UNESCO in April 7, 1964 as the 73rdMember and in line with UNESCO Constitution of 1945.

Over the years, KNATCOM has continued to promote and coordinate UNESCO’s activities in Kenya and supported UNESCO’s agenda at the international levels. At the same time, KNATCOM is also the point of contact for the Association for Development of Education for Africa (ADEA) and the Commonwealth.

KNATCOM was transformed into a State Corporation on 25th January, 2013 following the enactment of the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO Act 2013. This transformation was consistent with Article VII of the UNESCO Constitution of 1945 and the provisions of the 1978 Charter of National Commissions for UNESCO.

As a Commission, KNATCOM has a dual mandate of promoting Kenya’s national interests in UNESCO and UNESCO’s international interests in Kenya, Regionally and Globally. In summary, the Commission: mobilizes financial, technical and informational resources from UNESCO;promotes collaborations between national and international institutions; promotes knowledge and information sharing; facilitates national and international policy formulation in the fields of education, sciences, culture and communication & information among many other functions.